
2K/s1 



HP 

■■■■ BHHffi 






* 






TART I. 



PV1' I 25 CENTS. 




C. SHIELDS, Printer, 45 Maiden-Lane, JN.Y. 












> ,:"<-y,'r<.^ 





s 



N3 



\ i 3 



L_ 



EXTRACT OF INSTRUCTIONS 

ADDRESSED BY THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF BOMBAY 
TO CAPTAIN W. C. HARRIS. 

Bombay Castle, 24th April, 1841. 

Sir, 

I am directed to inform you, that the Honorable, the Governor in Council 
having formed a very high estimate of your talents and acquirements, and of the 
spirit of enterprise and decision, united with prudence and discretion, exhibited in 
your recently published Travels " through the territories of the chief Moselekatse 
to the tropic of Capricorn," has been pleased to select you to conduct a Mission 
which the British Government has resolved to send to Sahela Selassie, the King 
of Shoa in Southern Abyssinia, whose capital, Ankober, is computed to be abou* 
four hundred miles inland from the port of Tajiira on the African coast. 

The Mission will be conveyed to Aden in -the Honorable Company's steam 
frigate Auckland, now under orders to leave Bombay on the 27th instant ; and it 
nas been arranged that one of the Honorable Company's vessels of war, at present 
m the Red Sea, shall be in readiness to convey the Mission thence to Tajiira, at 
which latter place it should immediately disembark, and commence its journey to 
Ankober. 

(Signed) J. P. Willoughby, 

Secretary to Government, 
To Captain W. C. Harris, 
Corps of Engineers. 



THE EMBASSY WAS THUS COMPOSED: 

Captain W. C. Harris, Bombay Engineers. 

Captain Douglas Graham, Bombay Army, Principal Assistant. 

Assistant-Surgeon Rupert Kirk, Bombay Medical Service. 

Dr. J. R. Roth, Natural Historian. 

Lieutenant Sydney Horton, H. M. 49th Foot — as a Volunteer. 

Lieutenant W. C. Barker, Indian Navy. 

Assistant-Surgeon Impey, Bombay Medical Service. 

Mr. Martin Bernatz, Artist. 

Mr. Robert Scott, Surveyor and Draftsman. 

Mr. J. Hatchatoor, British Agent at Tajiira. 

Escort and Establishment : 

Two sergeants and fifteen rank and file ; volunteers from H. M. 6th Foot, and 

from the Bombay Artillery. 
An Assistant Apothecary. 
Carpenter. 
Smith. 
Two Tent Lascars. 



INTRODUCTION 



Written in the heart of Abyssinia, amid manifold interruptions and 
disadvantages, the following pages will be found redolent of no midnight 
oil. Their chief recommendation must be sought in the fact of their 
embodying a detail of efforts zealously directed under the auspices of a 
liberal government, toward the establishment of a more intimate connection 
with a Christian people, who know even less of the world than the world 
knows of them — toward the extension of the bounds of geographical and 
scientific knowledge, the advancement of the best interests of commerce, 
and the melioration of the lot of some of the less favored portions of the 
human race. 

An obvious necessity for the introduction of the foregoing extract from 
his instructions, will exonerate the Author from an intention to appropriate 
as his due the very gratifying encomium passed upon his previous exer- 
tions in Southern Africa. As a public servant, the freedom of his pen has 
now in some measure been curtailed ; but his official position and resources, 
added to the able assistance placed at his command, have, on the other 
hand, extended more than commensurate advantages. 

To Captain Douglas Graham, his accomplished and early friend, and 
principal assistant, he acknowledges himself most especially indebted, for 
the aid of a head and of a pen, such as are not often to be found united. 

The exertions of Assistant-Surgeon Kirk alleviated incalculable human 
suffering ; and his perseverance, although long opposed by an unfavorable 
climate, carried through a series of magnetic and astronomical observa- 
tions of the highest importance to Abyssinian geography. 

An indefatigable devotion to the cause of science, added to the experi- 
ence gained during previous wanderings in Palestine, eminently adapted 
the learned Dr. Roth to discharge the arduous functions of natural histo- 
rian to the Mission ; and the splendid collection realized, together with 
the researches embodied in the various appendices to these volumes, will 
afford the fullest evidence of his industry and success. 

2* 



vra INTRODUCTION. 

To all who were associated with himself in view to the better attainment 
of the objects contemplated, the Author here offers his warm acknowledg- 
ments for the cheerfulness displayed under trials and privations. Of the 
able assistance of some he was unavoidably deprived during an early 
period of the service. The disappointment thus involved in his own person 
has been fully equal to that experienced by themselves ; but they must 
be sensible that their hardships have not been undergone in vain, and that 
they too have accomplished their share in the undertaking so far as for- 
tune permitted. 

To the Reverend Dr. Krapf the thanks of Government have already 
been conveyed, for the valuable cooperation derived from his extended 
acquaintance with the languages of Abyssinia. But the Author gladly 
avails himself of this opportunity publicly to record his personal sense of 
obligation to the active and pious Missionary of the Church of England. 

By np tribute of his own could the writer of these volumes extend the 
well-deserved reputation of M'Queen's Geographical Survey. It will 
nevertheless be satisfactory to one who takes rank among the foremost 
benefactors of the oppressed " children of the sun," to receive the additional 
testimony which is due to the undeviating accuracy of theories and con- 
clusions founded upon years of patient and honest investigation ; and thi3 
\he Author unhesitatingly records, in so far as the north-eastern portions 
of Africa have come within the observation of the Embassy which he has 
the honor to conduct. 

Ankober, 1st January, 1843. 



POSTSCRIPTUM. 



The length of time that has unavoidably elapsed between the prepara- 
tion and the appearance of these volumes, needs no apology. They must 
not now be suffered to go forth without the expression of the Author's 
gratitude for the assistance derived during their progress through the 
press, from the talents and literary taste of his friend Major Franklin 
Lushington, C. B. 



>T 



THB 



HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA,-^ 



ETC. 



CHAPTER I. 

DEPARTURE OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY 
FROM THE SHORES OF INDIA. 

It was late on the afternoon of a sultry 
day in April, which had been passed amid 
active preparations, when a dark column of 
smoke, streaming over the tall shipping in 
the crowded harbor of Bombay, proclaimed 
t necessity of a hurried adieu to a con- 
.0 se of friends who still thronged the 
; and scarcely was the last wish for 
bu' .ess expressed to the parties that had 
arked, before the paddles performed 
their firsi revolution, and the Honora- 
ble East India Company's steam-frigate 
"Auckland," bound upon her maiden voy- 
age, shot through the still blue water. 

A turbaned multitude of manifold relig- 
ions had lined the pier and the ramparts 
of the saluting-battery, to pay a parting 
tribute of respect to their late governor, 
Sir James Rivett Carnac, who, with his 
lady and family, was now returning to his 
native land. On board also were the offi- 
cers and gentlemen composing an embassy 
organized under instructions by the gov- 
ernment of India. More than a fortnight 
had been diligently passed in the equip- 
ment of this mission ; but its objects, no 
less than the destination of its innumera- 
ble bales and boxes, still served as puzzles 
to public curiosity; and many a sapient 



conjecture on the subject was doubtless 
launched after the bounding frigate as she 
disappeared amid the haze of the closing 
day. 

Immortal Watt ! sordid is the man who 
places his foot behind the Titanic engines 
which owe their birth to thee, and who 
would withhold, as an offering to the altar 
of thy memory, a mite, according to his 
worldly means, wherewith to erect a fab- 
ric colossal as the power enthralled by thy 
transcendent genius! Strange are the 
revolutions undergone in affairs nautical 
since the introduction of the marine steam- 
engine upon the Indian seas. The creak- 
ing of yards has given place to the cough- 
ing and sobbing of machinery, as it heaves 
in convulsive throes. Tacking and wear- 
ing have become terms obsolete, and 
through the clang of the fire-doors, and 
the ceaseless stroke of paddle-wheels, the 
voice of the pilot is rarely heard, save in 
conjunction with " Stop her," or " Turn 
a-head." 

Marked by a broad ploughed wake, the 
undeviating course pursued through the 
trackless main was demonstrated midway 
of the voyage by a tall pillar of smoke 
from the funnel of the " Cleopatra," rising 
against the clear hot horizon, like a genie 
liberated from his sealed bottle, to pro- 
claim the advent of the English mails. 
The deep blue sea was glassy smooth, 



14 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Each passing zephyr set from Araby's 
shores ; but, heedless alike of wind and 
opposing current, the good ship steadily 
pursued her arrow-like flight — passed the 
bold outline of Socotra. redolent of spicy 
odors — and before sunset of the ninth day 
was within sight of her destined haven, 
one thousand six hundred and eighty miles 
from the port she had left. 

Cape Aden was the bold promontory in 
view, and it had borrowed an aspect even 
more sombre and dismal from a canopy of 
heavy clouds which stole across the naked 
and shattered peaks, to invest the castle- 
capped mountain with a funereal shroud. 
Crossed by horizontal ledges, and seamed 
with gaps and fissures, Jebel Shemshan 
rears its turreted crags nearly eighteen 
hundred feet above the ocean, into which 
dip numerous bare and rugged buttresses, 
of width only sufficient to afford footing to 
a cony, and each terminating in a bluff in- 
accessible scarp. Sand and shingle strew 
the cheerless valleys by which these spurs 
are divided, and, save where a stunted 
balsam, or a sallow clump of senna, has 
struggled through the gaping fissure, hol- 
low as well as hill is destitute of even the 
semblance of vegetation. 

" How hideously 
Its shapes are heaped around, rude, bare, and high, 
Ghastly, and scarred and riven ! Is this the scene 
Where the old earthquake's demon taught her young 
Ruin 1 Were these their toys ? — or did a sea 
Of fire envelope once this dismal cape?" 

Rounding the stern peninsula, within 
stone's-cast of the frowning headlands, the 
magnificent western bay developed its 
broad expanse as the evening closed. 
Here, with colliers and merchantmen, 
were riding the vessels of war composing 
the Red Sea squadron. Among the iso- 
lated denizens of British Arabia, the un- 
expected arrival of a steam-frigate created 
no small sensation. Exiles on a barren 
and dreary soil, which is precluded from 
all intercourse with the fruitful, but bar- 
barous interior, there is nothing to alle- 
viate a positive imprisonment, save the 
periodical flying visits of the packets that 
pass and repass betwixt Suez and Bom- 
bay. In the dead of night, the sudden 
glare of a blue light in the offing is an- 
swered by the illumination of the block- 
ship, heretofore veiled behind a curtain of 
darkness. The double thunder of artil- 
lery next peals from her decks ; and as 
the laboring of paddle-wheels, at first faint 
and distant, and heard only at broken in- 
tervals, comes booming more heavily over 
the waters, the spectral lantern at the 
mast-head is followed by a red glow under 



the stern, as the witch, buffeting a cascade 
of snowy spray, vibrates to every stroke 
of the engine, and leaving a phosphoric 
train to mark her even course, glides, 
hissing and boiling, toward her anchorage. 
Warped alongside the blockship, the din- 
gy hull's lean over like affectionate sisters 
that have been long parted ; and, flinging 
their arms together, remain fast locked in 
each other's embrace. 

And who are these swart children of the 
sun, that, like a May-day band of chimney- 
sweeps, are springing with wild whoops 
and yells over the bulwarks of the new 
arrival } T is a gang of brawny Seedies, 
enfranchised negroes from the coast of 
Zanzibar, whose pleasure consists in the 
transhipment of yonder mountain of coal, 
lying heaped in tons upon the groaning 
deck. To the dissonant tones of a rude 
tambourine, thumped with the thigh-bone 
of a calf, their labor has already com- 
menced. Increasing the vehemence of 
their savage dance, they heave the pon- 
derous sacks like giants busied at pitch 
and toss, and begrimed from head to foot, 
roll at intervals upon the blackened planks, 
to stanch the streaming perspiration. Thus 
stamping and howling with increased fury, 
while the harsh notes of the drum peal 
louder and louder to the deafening vehe- 
mence of the frantic musician, they pursue 
their task, night as well as day, amid 
clamor and fiendish vociferations, such as 
might suggest the idea of furies engaged 
in unearthly orgies. In the first burst of 
their revelry, the spectator is happy to es- 
cape from the suffocating atmosphere of 
impalpable coal-dust: and rarely does it 
happen, that for every hundred tons of fuel 
received, fewer than one life is forfeited 
by the actors in the wild scene described 
— some doomed victim, swollen with copi- 
ous draughts, and exhausted by the frenzy 
of excitement, invariably casting himself 
down, when his Herculean task is done, 
to rally and rise up no more. 



CHAPTER II. 

DISEMBARKATION AT CAPE ADEN. 

Quitting the boisterous deck of the 
steamer, and pulling toward the shores of 
Arabia, a cluster of barren rocks, which 
might fitly be likened to heaps of fused coal 
out of a glass furnace, present an appear- 
ance very far from inviting or prepossess- 
ing. They are little relieved by a few 
straggling cadjan buildings, temporarily 



VOLCANIC PENINSULA—ADEN. 



15 



occupied by those whose avocations enable 
Jiem, during the summer months, to fly 
the intolerable heat of .the oven-like town. 
But under the roof of Captain Stafford 
Haines, who fills the honorable and re- 
sponsible post of political agent, there 
awaited the embassy, on its landing, a hos- 
pitality of no ordinary stamp. It literally 
knew no bounds, and could not fail to ob- 
literate, at once, any unfavorable first im- 
pression arising out of the desolate aspect 
bestowed by Dame Nature upon " Steamer 
Point." 

A volunteer escort of European artille- 
rymen was 'yet to be obtained from the 
garrison of Aden ; horses, too, were to be 
purchased, and sundry other indispensable 
preparations made for the coming journey 
into the interior of Africa. During a full- 
week there seemed no termination to the 
influx of bags containing dates, rice, and 
juwarree, and scarcely a shorter period was 
occupied in the selection from the govern- 
ment treasury of many thousand star-dol- 
lars of the reign of Maria Theresa, dis- 
playing, each in its turn, all the multifarious 
marks and tokens most esteemed by the 
capricious savage. Neither was the bustle 
one whit diminished by the remote position 
of the town, which, unless through the 
kindness of friends, is only to be attained 
on the back of one of the many diminutive 
donkeys stationed along the beach for the 
convenience of the stranger. Encumbered 
with a straw-stuffed pack-saddle far ex- 
ceeding its own dimensions, the wretched 
quadruped is zealously bastinadoed into a 
painful amble by the heavy club of some 
juvenile Israelite with flowing auburn 
ringlets, whose chubby freckled cheeks, 
influenced by the sultry sun no less than 
by the incessant manual labor employed, 
are wont to assume a strongly excited ap- 
pearance ere the journey be at an end. 

Along the entire coast of Southern Ara- 
bia, there is not a more remarkable feature 
than the lofty promontory of Aden, which 
has been flung up from the bed of the 
ocean, and in its formation is altogether 
volcanic. The Arab historian* of the tenth 
century, after speaking of the volcanoes 
of Sicily and in the kingdom of the Maha 
Raj, alludes to it as existing in the desert of 
Barhut, adjacent to the province of Nasa- 
fan and Hadramaut, in the country of 
Shaher. " Its sound, like the rumbling of 
thunder, might then be heard many miles, 
and from its entrails vomited forth red-hot 
stones with a flood of liquid fire." The 
skeleton of the long-exhausted crater, 

* Mosudi. 



once, in all probability, a nearly perfect 
circle, now exhibits a horse-shoe-shaped 
crescent, hemmed in by splintered crags, 
which, viewed from the turreted summit 
of Jebel Shemshan especially, whence the 
eye ranges over the entire peninsula, pre- 
sents the wildest chaos of rock, ruin, and 
desolation. 

From the landing-place at Ras Marbut, 
a tortuous track of five miles conducts past 
the coal-depot and Seedie location, along 
various curvatures of the arid coast, to the 
cantonment and toWn of Aden. " Sublime- 
in barrenness," the rugged and lofty cliffs 
pile themselves upward in masses of the 
most fantastic shape, now bare and bald, 
shooting into perpendicular spires, and" 
now leaning over the caravan of heavily- 
laden camels, that toil along the path. 
The sunshine of perpetual summer reigns 
throughout the scene. Glittering sand- 
hills slumber in breezy dimness around the 
land-locked harbor ; and over the faint 
peaks of Yemen's distant mountains, the 
unclouded sky floats bright and blue. The 
sparkling waters leap against the dark base 
Of the naked islets ; but the wide, glassy 
surface beyond, reposing like abroad lake, 
is only ruffled by the circling eddy which 
follows the sportive plash of the bottle- 
nosed porpoise, or the pluming of a fleet 
of silver-winged terns, riding quietly at 
anchor on its tranquil bosom. As the road 
retires from the beach, the honey-combed 
cliffs assume the similitude of massive 
walls and battlements, everywhere pierced 
with loopholes and embrasures. A gradual 
ascent leads through a craggy portal, brist- 
ling with cannon, and guarded by the pa- 
cing sentinel. One narrow rift in the solid 
rock, to the foot of which the sun rarely 
penetrates, forms an abrupt division in the 
chain ; and beyond it the eye suddenly 
embraces the basin-like valley, wherein 
stands the decayed capital of Arabia Felix. 

"Aden," saith old Ibn Batuta of Tan- 
giers, "is situate upon the sea-shore — a 
large city, without either seed, water, or 
tree." Five hundred years have elapsed 
since this graphic account was penned, 
and the vegetation has in nowise improved. 
An amphitheatre of dimensions sufficient 
for the devil's punch-bowl, is formed by 
two volcanic rangfis, once in connection, 
but obviously rent asunder, heaved out- 
ward, and canted in opposite directions 
by some violent eruption, that has forced 
an opening to the ocean. A sterility 
which is not to be surpassed, invests the 
scene with an aspect most repulsive and 
forbidding. No tree varies the dreary pros- 
pect, no shrub relieves the eye ; not even 



16 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



a flower lends its aid to enliven the wild 
and gloomy hollow, the fittest refuge that 
the imagination could picture for the law- 
less and the desperate. Fortifications are 
to be traced on every point either liable to 
assault or eligible for defence : ruined cas- 
tles and watch-towers, perched on the 
highest elevations of the precipitous hills, 
stand the now inaccessible guardians of 
other days ; and even the limited view to 
seaward, where the passing white sail of 
a small coasting craft, or the catamaran of 
the amphibious fisherman may occasion- 
ally be seen, is partially screened by a .tri- 
angular rock, which frowns like a great 
spectre over the inner harbor. Seerah, 
" the fortified black islet," is said to have 
been the residence of Cain, "the first-born 
of a woman," after the murder of his 
brother Abel ; and, verily, it would be dif- 
ficult to devise a more appropriate exile 
for the banished fratricide. Hurled into 
the sea by a convulsive shock, it is sur- 
rounded by pumice and by currents of ob- 
sidian, the products of volcanic emission, 
strewed among vast undulating waves of 
cavernous lava ; or mingled with black 
masses of porous rock, which bear evi- 
dence of fusion, and yield to the touch a 
metallic sound. 

Sterility has indeed claimed this dreary 
region as her own ; and even in the more 
productive portions of the peninsula, little 
verdure is derived from the almost leaf- 
less besham, the balsa??wdendron opobalsa- 
mum, a dwarf shrub, which, according to 
the Arab tradition, formed a part of the 
present carried to King Solomon by the 
Queen of Sheba, from the aromatic re- 
gions of myrrh and frankincense. Where 
incisions are made in its stem, the far- 
famed balm of Mecca flows copiously; 
but the volatile oil quickly evaporating, 
leaves a tasteless, insipid gum. Nursed 
by no periodical shower, and by no hidden 
spring, the precious plant, scorched by a 
withering blast, derives its only moisture 
from the mists which envelope the moun- 
tain-top, when all is sunshine below. 

Among the most singular features of the 
cape, is the supply of water, which is 
found only in the valley of Aden, close 
under the cliffs, and at the openings of the 
fissures from the steppes above. Here, 
piercing to a great depth through the solid 
rock, are upward of one hundred wells ; 
many dilapidated and choked up, but oth- 
ers, yielding an abundant and unfailing 
supply. Whence or in what manner they 



are fed, it is extremely difficult to conjec- 
ture. All near the beach are bad, and 
more or less brackish ; some are sensibly 
affected by the tides, and very saline; 
while of those which afford sweet water, 
one only is visibly acted upon by some 
lower spring. It is excavated at the en- 
trance of a dark gorge, rent by some vio- 
lent convulsion in the rugged bosom of 
Shemshan ; and the surface, which is in a 
state of constant commotion, remains at the 
same level, although daily drawn upon 
from morning till night, for the supply of 
thousands. 

The almost total absence of the vegetable 
kingdom considered, it is not surprising 
that there should exist also a palpable defi- 
ciency in the animal creation. In perhaps 
no other quarter of the universe are the spar- 
row and the crow such perfect strangers. 
The pigeon, the fox, and the rat, divide the 
sovereignty of the rocky cleft ; and the 
serrated heights are held without a rival 
by a garrison of monkeys. With these 
long-tailed occupants of the tower-capped 
pinnacles, are connected wondrous super- 
stitions; and an Aden tradition, extant 
throughout Southern Arabia,* would ex- 
alt them into the remnant of the once 
powerful tribe of Ad, " a people great, and 
strong, and tall," who are believed to have 
been metamorphosed into apes, in token of 
the displeasure of Heaven, when Sheddad, 
" the king of the world," illustrious in the 
annals of the East, impiously sought, in de- 
fiance of the prophet Hud, to create unto 
himself a garden which should rival the 
celestial paradise. The Bostan el Irera, 
with its gorgeous palaces and shining 
domes, the similitude whereof had never 
been constructed on the regions of this 
earth, is said to be yet standing in the sol- 
itary deserts of Aden, although miracu- 
lously concealed from mortal ken. Within 
the silent walls of its lofty tow r ers, did Ab- 
dallah ibn Aboo Kelaba pass his night of 
wonder during the reign of Moawiyeh, 
prince of the faithful ; and it is believed 
by every good Moslem that this marvellous 
fabric of human skill and impiety, which 
finds a record in the sacred Koran, will 
endure until the last day, an imperish- 
able, but rarely revealed, monument of 
Divine retribution. 



* Lieutenant J. C Cruttenden, assistant to the polit- 
ical agent at Aden, heard the same version repeated at 
Saana, the capital of Yemen ; which far-famed city he 
has been the rirst European to visit, since the days of 
Niebuhr. 



ADEN BAZAAR— ISHMAELITES. 



17 



CHAPTER III. 

A STKOLL THROUGH THE INFANT METROP- 
OLIS OF BRITISH ARABIA. 

A uniform system of architecture per- 
vades the houses of Aden, nearly all of 
which would appear to have arisen out of 
the ruins of former more extensive edi- 
fices, now buried far below the surface of 
the accumulated soil. Tiers of loose un- 
dressed stone are interlaid, instead of mor- 
tar, with horizontal bands of timber ; the 
walls thus traversed being perforated with 
pigeon-holes to serve as windows, and 
surmounted by a low parapet concealing 
the terraced roof. Many, occupied by the 
more wealthy, have attained to a third 
story ; but nearly all are destitute of or- 
nament. This is now restricted to the de- 
cayed palace of the sultans of Yemen, 
where 

" in proud state 
Each robber chief upheld his armed halls, 
Doing his evil will." 

In the thick coating of cement with which 
the shattered edifice is still partially in- 
crusted, are the remains of various raised 
devices ; and a profusion of open fretwork 
in wood is still observable, interspersed 
with latticed cornices, comprising choice 
sentences from the Koran. 

The shops of Parsee and Mohammadan 
merchants already extend an assortment 
of European commodities to the notice of 
the visitor ; and in a bazaar, infested like 
other fish-markets by a legion of cats, are 
exposed sharks and a variety of the finny 
tribe. Water from the sweetest well is 
hawked about in dirty skins, instead of the 
lemonade and sherbert of large oriental 
towns ; and piles of fruit, drugs, dates, 
molasses, and, other abominations, present 
the same amount of flies, and no abate- 
ment of the compound of villainous smells, 
by which the booth of the shrewd and 
avaricious Gentoo is so invariably distin- 
guished. 

In the suburbs, the frail cadjan wigwam 
of the Arab and Somauli population, im- 
part the undeviating aspect of the port- 
able encampment of the nomade hordes. 
The tattered goat-hair awning of the bare- 
footed pilgrim to the shrine at El Medina 
is here ; and low crazy cabins of matting 
or yellow reeds are so slenderly covered 
in with the leaves of the palm, as to form 
but a scanty shelter against the intolerable 
heat and dust occasioned by periodical 
olasts of the fiery shimal. 

Daring his dismal reign, the sun has 



shone fiercely over the extinct crater of 
Aden, and the relentless shower of dust 
and pebbles has kept the inhabitants with- 
in their rude dwellings. But as the de- 
clining rays cast a lengthened shadow 
across the narrow alleys, and the hot puffs, 
abating in violence, are succeeded by a 
suffocating calm, the hitherto torpid popu- 
lation is to be seen abroad. That bronzed 
and sun-burnt visage, surrounded by long 
matted locks of raven hair, — that slender, 
but wiry and active frame, — and that en- 
ergetic gait and manner, proclaim the 
untamable descendant of Ishmael. He 
nimbly mounts the crupper of his now 
unladen dromedary, and at a trot moves 
down the bazaar on his way back to the 
town of Lahedge. A checked kerchief 
around his brows, and a kilt of dark blue 
calico about his loins, comprise his slen- 
der costume. His arms have been depos- 
ited outside the Turkish wall, which 
stretches its barrier across the isthmus 
from sea to sea, where flying parties of 
the Foudthli still infest the plain ; and as 
he looks back, his meagre ferocious aspect, 
flanked by that tangled web oi hair, stamps 
him the roving tenant of the desert. 

The Arab has changed neither his char- 
acter nor his habits since the days of the 
patriarchs, and he affords a standing evi- 
dence of the truth of the scriptural pro- 
phecy. He regards with disdain and with 
indifference every other portion of man- 
kind, for who can produce so ancient mon- 
uments of liberty as he who, with little 
intermission, has preserved it from the 
very Deluge ? Is the land of his ances- 
tors invaded ? A branch torn by the priest 
from the venerated nebek,* having been 
thrust into the fire, is quenched in hot 
blood welling from the divided throat of a 
ram, which has only the moment before 
been slaughtered in the name of God the 
one omnipotent. Dripping with the crim- 
son tide, the emblem is solemnly delivered 
to the nearest warrior, who hies him forth 
with this his summons for the gathering of 
the wild clans. Down from their rocky 
fastnesses pour the old and the young, the 
untried stripling, and the stern veteran 
with a thousand scars. On, on speeds the 
messenger with the alarum of coming 
strife. Transferred from hand to hand, it 
rests not in the grasp of any ; and in a 
few brief hours, thousands of wild spirits, 
calling upon Allah for victory, and thirst- 
ing for the blood of the foe, have muster- 
ed around the unfurled standard of their 
prophet. 

* A tree bearing a fruit like the Siberian crab. 



18 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA 



Thus it was that the numerous hill-forts 
and strongholds studding- the rich province 
of Assyr, which borders on the Holy Land 
of the Moslem, last poured forth their 
hordes to meet the invader of her fair 
plains, and the despoiler of her countless 
flocks. Sixteen thousand warriors, com- 
posing one of the most ancient as well as 
bravest of the Arab tribes, cast aside spear 
and falchion, and, armed only with the 
deadly creese, stole during the night upon 
the camp of the insatiate Egyptian, and 
slaughtering the greater number, drove 
Ibrahim Pacha, with the wreck of his ar- 
my, to seek safety in precipitate flight to 
Hode'ida. 

In yonder fat and sensual money-chang- 
er from the city of Surat, is presented the 
very antipodes to the posterity of Hagar. 
In drowsy indolence, see him emerge from 
his treasures of ghee and groceries, among 
which, scales in hand, he has been pa- 
tiently squatted since earliest dawn at the 
terrace of his booth, registering his gains 
in the daily ledger. Not one spark of 
animation is there. A dark slouching tur- 
ban, and ample folds of snowy drapery, 
envelope the sleek person of the crafty 
Hindoo, and his lethargic motions render 
it difficult to comprehend how he should 
have contrived to exile himself from his 
native soil, and in such a forbidding spot, 
even in pursuit of his idol, Mammon. 

Ajan and Berbera, famous for their early 
connection with the Greek kings of Egypt, 
have both contributed largely to the popu- 
lation that now throngs the street. The 
regular and finely-turned features of those 
Somauli emigrants from the opposite coast 
are at once selected from the group, al- 
though some have disguised their hair un- 
der a thick plaster of quicklime, and oth- 
ers are rendered hideous by a wig of fiery 
red curls ; while the dyed ringlets of a 
third have faded to the complexion of a 
housemaid's mop, and a fourth, forsooth, is 
shaven because his locks have been pulled 
in anger.* All present a curious contrast 
to the jet black skin and woolly pate of the 
Suhaili, who, in his turn, is destitute of 
the thick, pouting lip, which adorns that 
stalwart Nubian, swaggering like a great 
bully by his side. At the door of those 
cadjan cabins, which resemble higglers' 
crates, not less in size than in form and 
appearance, groups of withered Somauli 
crones are diligently weaving mats, bask- 
ets, and fans, of the pliant date-leaf; and 
their laughing daughters, yon tall, slim, 

* It is the practice of the Somauli to shave the head 
when thus insulted, and to make a vow that the hair 
shall not grow again until they have had their revenge. 



and erect damsels with the earthen pitch* 
ers above their plaited tresses, present, on 
their way up from the well, some of the 
comeliest specimens of the ebon race. 

11 Honesty," saith the Arab proverb, " is 
found only among poor fools." The Be- 
douin has for ages been celebrated for his 
ingenuity and daring, and the African off- 
set is nothing behind the parent stock. A 
Somauli thief is perhaps " the cunningest 
knave in the universe." He has been 
known to cut away a pile of tobacco so 
as to leave to the merchant who reposed 
thereon, nought but the effigy of his own 
figure : and after entering through the roof 
of a house, the burglar has taken his exit 
through the door with chests of treasure, 
from the top of which the sleeping proprie- 
tor has been first hoisted, with his bed, by 
a tackle lowered through the aperture, and 
so left hanging until the morning ! 

Muffled in a Spanish mantilla, see the - 
spouse of the bigoted Islam taking the air 
upon the crupper of a donkey, her fat face 
so scrupulously concealed, that nothing of 
it is visible save two sloe-black eyes, which 
glitter through perforations in the white" 
veil, and impart a similitude to the horned 
owl. On the rude steps of the clustering 
habitations that she has passed, surrounded 
by rosy-cheeksd urchins, are seated nu- 
merous dark-eyed and well-dressed Jew- 
esses. Rachel, although discreet, and' 
preserving the strictest decorum, is unveil- 
ed. Were it possible to prevail upon her* 
to have recourse to daily ablution, in lieu 
of the hebdomadal immersion which cele- 
brates her Sabbath eve, her complexion 
would not be less fair than that of the na- 
tive of Southern Europe ; and in the well- 
chiselled features and aquiline profile of 
the brunette, are preserved all those mark- 
ed peculiarities which in every part of the 
world distinguish the scattered daughters 
of Israel. 

The children of the tribe of Judah are 
most completely identified with the soil' of 
Aden, and may be regarded as the artisans 
and manufacturing population. Victims, 
heretofore, of the tyranny and intolerant 
persecution which the infidel has ever to 
expect at the hand of the true believer, 
they toiled and accumulated, but feared 
lest a display of the fruits of their labor 
should excite the cupidity of a rapacious 
master. Now their prospect has brighten- 
ed, and the remnant of a mighty though 
fallen and dispersed people, no longer ex- 
ists here in poverty and oppression, insult- 
ed and despised as they have always been 
in every part of the Eastern world ; but in 
uninterrupted security ply their industrious 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST. 



19 



occupation, and under British protection 
fearlessly practice those rites which have 
been religiously preserved from the time 
that their priests bore aloft the ark of the 
covenant. Stone slabs with Hebrew in- 
scriptions mark the resting-place of the de- 
parted ; schools witness the education of 
the rising generation ; and men and wo- 
men, arrayed in their holiday apparel, sit 
apart in the synagogue, to listen, at each 
return of their Sabbath, to the law which 
had been read since " by way of the wil- 
derness out of the Red Sea" their fathers 
"went up harnessed out of the land of 
Egypt." 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE GIBRALTAR OF THE EAST. 

Aden, in its history and reverses, pre- 
sents the type of many a mighty nation — 
it flourished and has fallen. As it once 
stood, it was the maritime bulwark of Ara- 
bia Felix. So early as the reign of Con- 
stantine the Great, it was celebrated for its 
impregnable fortifications, its extended traf- 
fic, and its attractive ports. Here the 
camels of the Koreishites were laden with 
a precious cargo of aromatics. Here com- 
merce first dawned ; and little more than 
two centuries and a half have rolled away 
since the decayed city ranked among the 
most opulent emporia of the East. Its de- 
cline is only dated from the close of the 
illustrious reign of Suleiman the Magni- 
ficent ; but the spider has since " weaved 
her web in the imperial palace, and the 
owl has stood sentinel upon the watch- 
tower." 

In the eyes of the true believer, the cape 
U hallowed by the tradition that it was 
honored with the preaching in person of 
that arch impostor, "the last of all the 
prophets," who, with the sword in one hand 
and the Koran in the other, became the 
lawgiver of the Arabians, and the founder 
of an empire which in less than a century 
had spread itself from the Pyrenees to the 
Indus. Three hundred and sixty mosques 
once reared their proud heads, and eighty 
thousand inhabitants poured into the field, 
an army which accomplished the subjuga- 
tion of El Yemen. This latter, famous 
from all antiquity for the happiness of its 
climate, its fertility and surpassing riches, 
became an independent kingdom at the pe- 
riod that Constantinople fell into the hands 
of Mahomet the Second. Aden frequent- 
ly cast off its allegiance ; and when the 



Turks, by means of their fleet built at Su- 
ez, rendered themselves masters of the 
northern coast of the Red Sea, they found 
the peninsula independent, under the Sul- 
tan of Foudthli. Turkey and Portugal, 
struggling for supremacy in the East, hotly 
contested its possession ; but, being unable 
longer to maintain their rivalry, it finally 
reverted into the grasp of its ancient mas- 
ters. 

Great natural strength, improved by the 
substantial fortifications which had been 
carried by Sultan Selim completely round 
the zone of hills that engirds the town, 
now rendered it the fittest of all retreats for 
the piratical hordes of the desert ; and the 
lawless sons of Ishmael, scouring the ad- 
jacent waters, loaded their stronghold with 
booty. But after the loss of government, 
Aden could not be expected to retain its 
opulence. Its trade passed into the rival 
port of Mocha, and grinding oppression 
caused the removal of the wealthy. At 
the period of the British occupation, ninety 
dilapidated houses, giving shelter to six 
hundred impoverished souls, were all that 
remained to attest its ancient glories. The 
town lay spread out in ruin and desolation, 
and heaps of stone, mingled with bricks 
and rubbish, sternly pointed to the grave 
of the mosque and tall minaret 

Few fragments now survive the general 
decay, to record the high estate of the once 
populous metropolis, or reveal the magni- 
ficence it could formerly boast in works of 
public utility. The chief buildings are be- 
lieved to have been situated ten miles in- 
land, and to have been swallowed up by 
the ever rising, never ebbing, tide of the 
desert. The red brick conduit of Abd ei 
Wahab can still be traced from the Durab 
el HoraVbi, whence it stretches to Bir Om- 
heit, upward of eight miles, across a now 
dilapidated bridge. Here are numerous 
wells, which supplied the reservoirs ; but, 
"like the baseless fabric of a vision," every 
vestige of an edifice has vanished. 

Among the most perfect and conspicu- 
ous relics of the past are the laborious and 
costly means adopted to insure, in so arid 
and burning a climate, a plentiful supply 
of water. In addition to the wells, three 
hundred in number, the remains of basins 
of great magnitude are found in various 
directions ; and in the Valley of Tanks 
are a succession of hanging cisterns, form- 
ed by excavations in the limestone rock. 
These are lined with flights of steps, and 
supported by lofty buttresses of imperish- 
able masonry, forming deep reservoirs of 
semi-elliptical form, which still blockade 
every channel in the mountain side, and 



20 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



once served to collect the precious drops 
from heaven, when showers doubtless fell 
more abundantly than at the present day. 

In the extensive repositories for the dead, 
too, may be found assurances of the former 
population of Aden. Many of the count- 
less tombs in the Turkish cemetery were 
of white marble, and bore on jasper tab- 
lets elaborately-sculptured inscriptions sur- 
mounted by the cap and turban ; but the 
greater number of these pillared monu- 
ments have either disappeared or been 
overthrown. Of the evidences of Moham- 
madanism that once graced the city, nearly 
all lie buried from sight beneath heaps of 
accumulated rubbish and debris, the remo- 
val of portions of which has disclosed many 
curious coins of remote date. The mina- 
ret of Menaleh. and a tottering octagon of 
red brick, attached to the Jama el Musjid, 
lone survivors of the wreck, still point to 
the sky ; and of the few mosques that have 
been spared by the destroying hand of time, 
the principal is that of the tutelar saint of 
the city, beneath the cupola of which, in- 
vested with a pall of crimson silk, and in- 
shrined in the odor of sanctity, repose the 
venerated remains of Sheikh Hydroos. 

An excellent zigzagged road, imperfect- 
ly paved, and raised in parts to the height 
of twenty feet, extends from the base to 
the summit of Jebel Shemshan, and, with 
some few of the disjointed watch-towers, 
has defied the ravages of centuries. Three 
enormous pieces of brass ordnance, pierced 



formed them, excellent, capacious, and se- 
cure. 

Important commercial advantages can- 
not fail to accrue from the occupation of 
so secure an entrepot, which at any sea- 
son of the year may be entered and quitted 
with equal facility. The readiest access 
is afforded to the rich provinces of Hadra" 
maut and Yemen, famous for their coffee, 
their frankincense, and the variety of their 
gums, and abounding in honey and wax, 
of a quality which may vie with the pro- 
duce of the hives of the Mediterranean. 
A lucrative market to the manufactures of 
India and Great Britain is also extended 
by the facilities attending communication 
with the African coast, south of Bab el 
Mandeb, where the high mountain ranges 
bordering upon the shore are clothed with 
trees producing myrrh, frankincense, and 
precious gums, while the valleys in the 
interior pour forth for export, sheep, ghee, 
drugs, dry hides, gold dust, civet, ivory, 
rhinoceros horns, peltries, and ostrich fea- 
thers, besides coffee of the choicest, growth. 
A wide field is open for mercantile specu- 
lation, and it is not a little pleasant to con- 
template the approaching improvement of 
Christian Abyssinia, and the civilization of 
portions of Africa even more benighted 
and remote, through the medium of inter- 
course with British Arabia. 

Under the flag of old England, Aden has 
enjoyed a degree of happiness and security 
never previously experienced, even in the 



for a sixty-eight pound shot, and covered i days of her greatest glory, when she ranked 
with Turkish inscriptions, were the chief 
symbols of the former strength of this east- 
ern Gibraltar. These were transmitted to 
England, when their capture, shortly after 
the present accession, avenged an insult 
offered to her flag, and wreathed the first 
laurels around the brow of her youthful 
Queen. 

In general aspect the cape is not dis- 
similar from the volcanic islands in the 



among the foremost of commercial mart.-s 
in the East, and when vessels from all the 
known quarters of the globe thronged her 
boasted roadstead. Emigrants from the 
interior as well as from the exterior of 
Hadramaut and Yemen, and from both 
shores of the Red Sea, are daily crowding 
within the walls to seek refuge from grind- 
ing oppression, and to free themselves 
from the galling burthen beneath which 



Grecian Archipelago, and viewed from a i they have long groaned at the hand of in- 



distance it appears separated altogether 
from the mainland. The long dead flat of 
sand by which it is connected with the 
Arabian continent, rising on either beach 
scarcely two feet above high water mark, 
induces the belief that the promontory 
must on its first production in early ages 
have been insulated. According to the 
evidence of the present generation the sea 
is still receding, and the sand steadily ac- 
cumulating; but the noble western bay 
will not be affected for many centuries. 
Though the glory of Aden may have fled, 
and her commerce become totally annihi- 
lated, her ports will long remain as nature 



satiate native despots. The amazing in- 
crease of population and the crowded state 
of the bazaars form subject for high admi- 
ration. In the short space of three yeafea 
the census has been augmented to twenty 
thousand souls ; substantial dwellings are 
springing up in every direction, and at all 
the adjacent ports, hundreds of native mer- 
chants do but await the erection of per- 
manent fortifications in earnest of intention 
to remain, to flock under the guns with 
their families and wealth. Emerging thus 
rapidly from ruin and degradation, the tide 
of lucrative commerce, both from Africa 
and Arabia, may be confidently expected 



PASSAGE OF THE GULF. 



21 



o revert to its former channel. Blessed 
by a mild but firm government, the decayed 
mart, rescued from Arab tyranny and mis- 
rule, will doubtless shortly attain a pinna- 
cle far eclipsing even its ancient opulence 
and renown; and Aden, as a free port, 
while she pours wealth into a now impov- 
erished land, must ere long become the 
queen of the adjacent seas, and take rank 
among the most useful dependencies of the 
British crown. 



CHAPTER V. 

VOYAGE ACROSS THE GULF OF ARABIA. 

Eight bells were " making it twelve 
o'clock" on the 15th of May, when the 
boatswain piped all hands on deck to 
weigh the anchor, and within a few min- 
utes the Honorable Company's brig-of-war 
" Euphrates," having the embassy on 
board, and commanded by one of its mem- 
bers,* set her white sails, and, followed by 
three large native crafts freighted with 
horses and baggage, stood across the Ara- 
bian Gulf. A favorable breeze pressed her 
steadily through the yielding bosom of the 
ocean. The salt spray flew under her gal- 
lant bows ; and as the hospitable cadjan 
roofs on Steamer Point, first in order, and 
then the jagged pinnacles, forming the 
spider skeleton of Aden, sank gradually 
astern, each individual of the party des- 
tined to traverse the unknown wilds of 
Ethiopia, took the pilgrim's vow that the 
razor should pass no more over his beard, 
until his foot had again rested on civilized 
shores — an event not unreasonably con- 
jectured to be far distant for all, and for 
some destined never to be realized. 

The breeze increasing, the low sandy 
promontory of Ras Bir on the African coast 
became visible during the forenoon of the 
following day ; and before evening, not- 
withstanding a delay of some hours, caused 
by an accident to the mainyard o* one of 
the tenders, which obliged her to be taken 
in tow, the brig was passing a group of 
eight coral islands, elevated about thirty 
feet above the level of the sea. The re- 
mainder of the fleet having parted com- 
pany during the night, were now perceived 
standing directly for Mushahh, the nearest 
of these islets, situated at the mouth of the 
Gulf of Tajiira, and divided from the Da- 
ttakil coast by a fathomless channel of 
seven miles. An iron messenger dispatch- 
ed to bring the convoy to, ricochetted over 

* Lieutenant Barker, Indian Navy. 
1* 



the blue water, kicking up a column of 
white spray at every bound ; and before 
the smoke of the gun had cleared the bul- 
warks, a bald pate protruded between the 
rigging, was followed by the swarthy per- 
son of Aboo Bekr, of the Somauli tribe 
Aboo Salaam, and commonly styled Dara- 
bili, or " the Liar." Nakhuda of a small 
trading craft, which had been employed as 
a pilot-boat during the recent trigonome- 
trical survey of the coast, he was well 
known to the officers of the " Euphrates," 
and was ascertained to be at this moment 
charged with dispatches to Aden, which, 
whether important or otherwise, had been 
during three days lying safely at anchor 
off the island, to admit of enhanced profits 
by the collection of a cargo of wood. 

"Salaam aleikum!" exclaimed the old 
Palinurus, as soon as his foot had touched 
the deck ; " Hamdu lillah ! Praise be unto 
God ! it is you, after all. When I saw 
those two crazy tubs in your van, I believed 
that it could not be my old ship, although 
it loomed up so vastly like her ; but the 
moment you took in your studding-sails to 
let Aboo Bekr come alongside, I knew it 
must be the Capitan Bashi. Kayf halut, 
how fares it with your health ?" 

The welcome visitor was forthwith ac- 
commodated with a chair on the poop; 
into which having squeezed himself with 
difficulty, he drew up his knees to his 
scanty beard, inserted a cigar into his 
mouth as a quid, and, sipping tea like a 
finished washerwoman, instituted a train 
of inquiries relative to the position of af- 
fairs in the British possessions across the 
water. 

" Tayyib, tayyib," he ejaculated, when 
thoroughly satisfied that Cape Aden was 
not again in the hands of the Arabs. 
" Marhabba, it is well. All, too, is as it 
should be at Tajiira. Misunderstandings 
are adjusted, and the avaricious chieftains 
have at last, the Lord be praised ! got all 
the dirt out of their bellies. Their palms 
have been judiciously tickled, and it only 
now remains to be seen whether the old 
sultan, who is fully as fond of money as 
his neighbors, or his ancient rival, Mo- 
hammed Ali, is to have the honor of for- 
warding the English to King Saloo. My 
boy has just returned from Habesh, and 
shall escort you. Abroo has been twice 
in Bombay, as you know, capitan. You 
have only to tell me if he should misbe- 
have, and I '11 trounce the young scamp 
soundly." 

Meanwhile, the bold mountain outline 
of the land of promise, forming a worthy 
barrier to the unexplored treasures of the 



22 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



vast continent of Africa, had been rapidly 
emerging from obscurity, and the brown 
forbidding bluff, styled Ras Dukhan, " the 
smoking promontory," in height about five 
or six hundred feet, was now on the star- 
board quarter ; its abrupt summit, as usual, 
surmounted by a coronet of fleecy clouds, 
from which, if not from the thermal well 
at its base, this cape has probably derived 
its appellation. The brig was already 
standing up the bay of Tajiira ; but dark- 
ness overtaking her, it was resolved to lay 
to until daybreak ; and a gun fired in inti- 
mation of our approach, was presently an- 
swered by a display of rockets and blue 
lights from the Honorable Company's 
schooner "Constance," riding at anchor 
in the harbor. 

The Arabs lay claim to the invention of 
the compass ; and Aboo Bekr, who believed 
himself in truth a second Anson, was pro- 
vided with one, which must certainly have 
been the first ever constructed. Age 
having impaired the dilapidated needle, it 
was forced off its pivot by a quantity of 
pepper-corns, which are here considered 
highly efficacious in the restoration of de- 
cayed magnetic powers. From the native 
navigators in the Indian Ocean, he had 
borrowed a primitive nautical instrument 
for determining the latitude ; nor was he 
a little vain of his practical skill as an ob- 
server. Through a perforation in the 
centre of a plane of wood, in size and 
shape like a playing card, was passed a 
knotted whipcord ; and the distance from 
each knot was so regulated, that the sub- 
tended angle should equal the altitude of 
the polar star at some frequented point on 
the coast. The knot having been placed 
between the teeth, and the lower margin 
of the plane brought in optical contact 
with the horizon, the position of Polaris 
must be observed with reference to the 
upper edge ; when, if it be above, the de- 
sired haven is known to be to the south- 
ward — if below, to the northward, and the 
course is shaped accordingly. 

" I '11 take you in this very night, Capi- 
tan Bashi, if you so please," resumed the 
pilot, whose packet had by this time es- 
caped his recollection altogether. "Only 
give me the order, and, praise be unto Al- 
lah ! there is nothing that Aboo Bekr can- 
not do. My head, as you see, is bald, and 
I may perhaps be a little old-looking now ; 
but wait until we get on shore, and my 
new wig is bent : Inshallah ! I shall look 
like a child of five years among the young- 
est of them " 

" Now, if we had but Long Ali of Zeyla 
on board," continued the old man, whose 



merry tongue knew no rest ; " if we had 
only Two-fathom Ali here, you would not 
make all these difficulties. When they 
want to lay out an anchor, they have no- 
thing else to do but to hand it over to Ali, 
and he walks away with it into six or eight 
feet without any ado. I went once upon 
a time in the dark to grope for a berth on 
board of his buggalow, and stumbling over 
some one's toes, inquired to whose legs 
they belonged : ' Ali's,' was the reply. 
' And whose knees are these ?' said I, after 
walking half across the deck. 'Ali's.' 
' And this head in the scuppers, pray whose 
is it ?' * Ali's, to be sure,' growled a sleepy 
voice \ ' what do you want with it]' ' Sub- 
han Allah, Ali again !' I exclaimed ; ' then 
I must even look for stowage elsewhere.' " 

Dawn of the 17th revealed the town of 
Tajura, not a mile distant, on the verge of 
a broad expanse of blue water, over which 
a gossamer-like fleet of fishing catamarans 
already plied their busy craft. The tales 
of the dreary Tehama, of the suffocating 
shimal, and of the desolate plains of the 
blood-thirsty Ada'iel, were in that moment 
forgotten. Pleasure sparkled in every 
eye, and each heart bounded with exulta- 
tion at the near prospect of fulfilling the 
benevolent schemes in design, and of add- 
ing one mite to the melioration of Afric's 
swart sons. 

Those who are conversant with Bur- 
chell's admirable illustration of an en- 
campment of Cape farmers, with their 
gigantic wagons scattered about in pictu- 
resque confusion, will best understand the 
appearance of the group of primitive habi- 
tations that now presented itself on the 
sea-beach. Exceeding two hundred in 
number, and rudely constructed of frames 
of unhewn timber, arranged in a parabolic 
arch, and covered in with date matting, 
they resembled the white tilts of the 
Dutch boors, and collectively sheltered 
some twelve hundred inhabitants. The 
bold gray mountains, like a drop-scene, 
limited the landscape, and, rising tier 
above tier, through coral limestone and 
basaltic trap, to the majestic Jebel Goodah, 
towering five thousand feet above the 
ocean, were enveloped in dirty red clouds, 
which imparted the aspect of a morning in 
the depth of winter. Verdant clumps of 
date and palm-trees embosomed the only 
well of fresh water, around which numer- 
ous Bedouin females were drawing their 
daily supply of the precious fluid. These 
relieved the humble terraced mosque of 
whitewashed madrepore, whence the voice 
of the muezzin summoned the true be- 
liever to matin prayer ; and a belt of green 



PRECOCIOUS BOY— FAIR OF BERBERA. 



23 



•nakanni, a dwarf species of mimosa with 
uniform umbrella tops, fringing the sandy 
shore, completed a pleasant contrast to the 
frowning blocks of barren black lava which 
fortify the Gibraltar whereupon the eye 
had rested. 

As the ship sailed into the harbor, the 
appearance of a large shark in her wake 
caused the tongue of the pilot again to 
"break adrift," "A certain friend of 
mine," said he, " nakhuda of a craft al- 
most as fast a sailer as my own, which is 
acknowledged to be the best in these seas, 
was, once upon a time, bound from this 
port to Mocha, with camels on board. 
When off Jabel Jan, the high table-land 
betwixt the Bay of Tajura and the Red 
Sea, one of the beasts dying, was hove 
overboard. Up came a shark, ten times 
•the size of that fellow, and swallowed the 
carcass, leaving one of the hinder legs pro- 
truding from his jaws ; and before he had 
time to think where he was to find stow- 
age for it, up came a second tremendous 
monster; and bolted his messmate, camel, 
leg, and all." 

In return for this anecdote, the old man 
was treated to the history of the two Kil- 
kenny cats in the sawpit, which fought 
until nothing remained of either but the 
tail and a bit of the flue. " How could 
that be ?" he retorted seriously, after 
turning the business over in his mind. 
" Now, Capitan Bashi, you are spinning 
yarns, but, by Allah, the story I have told 
you is as true as the holy Koran, and if 
you do n't choose to believe me, there are 
a dozen persons of unblemished veracity 
now in Tajura, who are ready to vouch 
•for its correctness." 



CHAPTER VI. 

CAST ANCHOR AT TAJURA ON THE AFRICAN 
COAST. 

A scraggy, misshapen lad, claimed by 
Aboo Bekr as his own most dutiful neph- 
ew, now paddled alongside in a frail skiff, 
the devil dancing in his wicked eye ; and 
having caught the end of a rope thrown 
by the doting uncle, he was on board in 
another instant. 

During a former cruize of the "Eu- 
phrates," this imp had contrived to pass 
on the purser a basket of half-hatched 
eggs, which he warranted "new-laid," 
but with which he was subsequently 
pelted over the gangway. On being 
greeted as " Sahib el bayzah," " the mas- 



ter of the eggs," and asked if he had not 
brought a fresh supply for sale, grinning 
archly, he dragged forward by the topknot 
a dull, stupid, little wretch — his messmate 
— whose heavy features formed the exact 
reverse of his own impudent animation. 
" Here," he exclaimed, " is the identical 
young rascal of whom I told you I bought 
them; he actually stole the whole from 
under his mother's hen, and then assured 
me that they were fresh." " Why do n't 
you grow taller as well as sharper ?" in- 
quired the party upon whom the preco- 
cious child of the sea had imposed; " 'tis 
now twelve months since you cheated me, 
and you are as diminutive a dwarf as 
ever." "How can any one thrive who is 
starved ?" was the prompt reply; " were I 
to eat as immoderately as you do, I doubt 
not I should soon grow as corpulent." 

But. the arrival of Ali Shermarki shortly 
changed this desultory conversation to 
weightier matters. This worthy old man, 
sheikh of the Somauli tribe Aber Gerhajis, 
possessing great influence and considera- 
tion among the entire Danakil population 
of the coast, had been invited from Zeyla, 
his usual place of residence, to assist in the 
extensive preparations making for the jour- 
ney of the embassy ; and he now repre- 
sented the requisite number of camels to 
be on their way down from the mountains, 
if the assurances of the owners, upon 
whose word small reliance could be placed, 
were to be implicitly believed. 

Long faithfully attached to the British 
government, the sheikh's first introduction 
arose out of a catastrophe which occurred 
many years ago — the loss of the merchant 
brig " Mary Anne " at Berbera, a sea-port 
on the Somauli coast, lying immediately 
opposite to the peninsula of Aden. De- 
serted from October till March, it becomes, 
throughout the residue of the year, one 
uninterrupted fair, frequented by ships from 
the Arabian shores, by rapacious Banians 
from India, and by caravans of wandering 
savages from all parts of the interior — a 
vast temporary city or encampment, pop- 
ulated by not fewer than fifty thousand 
souls, springing into existence as if by the 
magic aid of Aladdin's lamp, and disap- 
pearing so suddenly, that within a single 
week, not one inhabitant is to be seen. 
Yet another six months, and the purse- 
proud merchant of Hurrur is again there, 
with his drove of comely slaves newly ex- 
ported from the highlands of Abyssinia. 
There, too, is the wild pagan, displaying 
coffee, peltries, and precious gums from 
beyond Gurague ; and, punctual as ever, 
see the kafilah from the distant gurriahs 



54 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



of Amin and Ogaden, a nomade band, la- 
den with ivory and ostrich plumes, and 
stained from head to foot, both in person 
and in garment, by the impalpable red dust 
traversed during the long march from the 
southward. 

Religious prejudices on the part of the 
wily Hindoo precluding all traffic in live 
stock, the Somauli shepherd retains in his 
own hanfl the sale of his black-headed ! 
flocks ; embarked with which in his frail • 
bark of fifty tons, he stands boldly across 
the gulf, at seasons when the Arab fears ! 
even to creep along the coast of the Hejaz. j 
All other trade, however, is engrossed by j 
the subtle Banian, who divides the adduc- j 
tor pollicis of the right thumb, in order to j 
increase the span by which his wares are i 
to be measured ; and he, during many \ 
years, has enjoyed, silently and unobserv- 
ed, the enormous profits accruing from the ! 
riches annually poured out from the hidden 
regions of Africa. No form of govern- [ 
ment regulates the commerce ; and, in the 
absence of imposts,, barter is conducted 
solely through the medium of a native bro- 
ker styled aban, who, receiving a regula- 
ted per-centage upon purchases and sales, 
is bound, at the risk of his own life, to 
protect his constituent from injury or out- 
rage. 

A vessel standing toward the coast 
proves a signal to all who gain their live- 
lihood by this system, to swim off, and con- 
test first arrival on board ; the winner of 
the aquatic race, in accordance with an- 
cient usage, being invariably received as 
her aban. Thus it was that Ali Sher- 
marki became agent to the u Mary Araie," 
a small English merchantman from Mau- 
ritius, whose captain, imprudently landing 
with the greater portion of his crew, af- 
forded to a party of knavish Somauli an 
opportunity to cut the cable, when she 
drifted on shore and was lost. Hoping by 
his influence to prevail upon the plunder- 
ers to desist, the aban, then a younger 
man, exerted himself to gain the wreck, 
but he was repulsed by a shower of spears, 
and his boat was swamped. A savage rab- 
ble next beleaguered his dwelling, and im- 
periously demanded the persons of the of- 
ficers and crew, in order to put them to 
death ; but, true to his charge, Ali Sher- 
marki stoutly resisted, and being severely 
wounded, succeeded with his blood in se- 
curing honorable terms, and preserving the 
lives for which he had made himself re- 
sponsible. His zealous integrity was duly 
rewarded by the British government, and 
a sword was presented in token of his gal- 
lantry, the display of the brilliant setting 



of which led to the narration of the fore- 
going history. 

The passage from Aden had been made 
in forty-two hours. As the cable of the 
" Euphrates " ran through the hawse-holes, 
and the rest of the squadron fell into their 
places betwixt herself and the shore, she 
fired a salute of five guns ; and, after con- 
siderable delay, a negro was peiceived tim- 
idly advancing with a lighted brand from 
among a knot of gray-bearded elders, seat- 
ed in deep consultation beneath the scanty 
foliage of an ancient date-tree. A super- 
annuated 4 pr., honey-combed throughout 
its calibre, and mounted upon a rickety 
ship carriage, tottered on the beach — the 
sole piece of ordnance possessed by Sultan 
Mohammad ibn Mohammad, reputed ruler 
of all the Danakil tribes. It was, after 
much coaxing, persuaded to explode in re- 
ply to the compliment paid, and for some 
minutes afterward, wreaths of white smoke 
continued to ascend from the chimney- 
like vent, as though the venerable engine 
had taken fire, and was being consumed 
internally. 

The commander of the " Euphrates," 
whose naval functions were now tempora- 
rily suspended, having long enjoyed the 
honor of a personal acquaintance with the 
potentate bearing the above pompous and 
high-sounding title, repaired forthwith to 
the palace," which consists of the stern 
moiety of the ill-3tarred " Mary Anne," 
tastily erected, keel uppermost, in the mid- 
d'e of the town to serve as an attic story. 
| Letters of introduction from the political 
authorities at Aden, with many complimen- 
tary speeches, duly delivered, permission to 
land was solicited ; and although the for- 
midable array of shipping, whose guns, not 
two hundred yards distant, sullenly over- 
looked the royal lodge, had given birth to 
certain misgivings, the sultan finally over- 
came his fears, and acquiesced in tne ar- 
rangement. A spot of waste land, forming 
a common near the mosque, was pointed 
out as the site upon which to encamp, but 
the favor was granted with this express 
understanding, that the British embassy 
should tarry in so enviable a situation, not 
one moment longer than the exigencies of 
the service imperatively demanded ; a sav- 
ing clause in the stipulation to which all 
parties heartily subscribed. 

The bay in which the " Euphrates" now 
rode, styled, from its wonted smoothness, 
"Bahr el Banateen," "the sea of the two 
nymphs," is a deep narrow estuary, bound- 
ed by a bold coast, and extending, in a 
south-westerly direction, about forty-five 
miles, when the Eesah and Danakil shores 



RECEPTION OF THE EMBASSY. 



suddenly converge so as to form a strait- 
ened channel, which imparts the figure of 
an hour-glass. Barely three-quarters of a 
mile across, this passage is divided by a 
barren rocky islet, styled " Bab," " the 
door," as occupying the gateway to the in- 
ner bay of Goobut el Kharab, *' the basin 
of foulness." The vortices formed by the 
strong tide setting through these confined 
apertures, assume a most dangerous as- 
pect ; and although the water in the bowl, 
whereof the longer axis measures twelve, 
and the shorter five miles, is so intensely 
salt as to create a smarting of the skin 
during immersion, mud adhering to the 
lead at one hundred fathoms, is perfectly 
sweet and fresh. Of four islets, two are 
rocks ; Bood Ali, on the contrary, three 
hundred feet in height, and perfectly inac- 
cessible, being thickly incrusted with 
earth and vegetable matter, while the sides 
of its nearest neighbor, Hood Ali, are bare, 
and present unequivocal traces of more re- 
cent volcanic action than are to be found 
in the surrounding debris. 

Immediately outside the bay, on the 
Danakil coast, there issues from the rock 
below high water line, a spring which, at 
the flood tide, is completely effaced ; but 
during the ebb is so intensely hot, that a 
crab is instantly destroyed and turned red 
by immersion. At the western extremity 
of Goobut el Kharab, a cove three hundred 
yards in diameter, with sixteen fathoms 
water, is inclosed by precipitous volcanic 
cliffs, and the entrance barred by a narrow 
coral reef, which, at low tide, lies high and 
dry. In the waters of this recess is pre- 
sented one of those strange phenomena 
which are not to be satisfactorily explained. 
Always ebbing, there is an underflow du- 
ring even the flood tide ; and usually glassy 
smooth, they become occasionally agitated 
by sudden ebullition, boiling up in whirl- 
pools, which pour impetuously over the 
bar; whence the natives, persuaded that 
there exists a subterranean passage con- 
nected with the great Salt Lake, of which 
the sparkling expanse is visible from an 
intervening high belt of decomposing lava, 
term the cove " Mirsa good Ali," " the 
source of the sea." 



CHAPTER VII. 

EECEPTION OF THE EMBASSY BY THE SULTAN 
OF THE SEA-PORT, AND RETURN VISIT TO 
HIS HIGHNESS. 

The first British camp with which the 
sea-port of Tajura had been honored since 
8 



its foundation, raised its head on the after- 
noon of the 18th of May ; when the em- 
bassy, accompanied by the officers of both 
ships-of-war in the harbor, landed under a 
salute of seventeen guns from the " Eu- 
phrates,"* and, in a spacious crimson 
pavilion, erected as a hall of audience, 
received a visit of ceremony from the sul- 
tan and his principal chiefs. A more un- 
princely object can scarcely be conceived 
than was presented in imbecile, the attenu- 
ated, and ghastly form of this most meagre 
potentate, who, as he tottered into the mar- 
quee, supported by a long witch-like wand, 
tendered his hideous bony claws to each 
of the party in succession, with all the re- 
pulsive coldness that characterizes a Dan- 
kali shake of the hand. An encourager of 
the staple manufactures of his own coufi- 
try, his decrepit frame was enveloped in a 
coarse cotton mantle, which, with a blue 
checked wrapper about his loins, and an 
ample turban perched on the very apex of 
his shaven crown, was admirably in keep- 
ing with the harmony of dirt that pervaded 
the attire of his privy council and attend- 
ants. Projecting triangles of leather 
graced the toes of his rude sandals ; a 
huge quarto Koran, slung over his bent 
shoulder, rested beneath the left arm, on 
the hilt of a brass-mounted creese, which 
was girded to the right side ; and his illus- 
trious person was further defended against 
evil influence by a zone and bandalier, 
thickly studded with mystic amulets and 
most potent charms, extracted from the 
sacred book. Enfeebled by years, his 
deeply-furrowed countenance, bearing an 
ebony polish, was fringed by a straggling 
white beard, and it needed not the science 
of Lavater to detect, in the indifference of 
his dull leaden eye, and the puckered cor- 
ners of his toothless mouth, the lines of 
cruelty, cunning, and sordid avarice. 

His highness's haggard form was sup- 
ported by the chief ministers of church 
and state — Abdool Rahman Sowahil, the 
judge, civil, criminal, and ecclesiastic, and 
Hamed Bunaito, the pursy wazir, whose 
bodily circumference was in strict uni- 
son with the pomposity of his carriage. 
One Saleh Shehem, too, occupied a promi- 
nent seat in ths upper ranks — a wealthy 
slave merchant, whose frightful deformities 
have ennobled him with the title of " Ash- 
rem," which being interpreted signifies, 
" he of the hare-lip." This trio alone, of 
all the unwashed retinue, showed turbaned 
heads, every lesser satellite wearing either 
a natural or artificial full-bottomed peruke, 
graced with a yellow wooden skewer, 



* Commanded by Lieutenant J. Young, I. N. 



26 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



something after the model of a salad fork, 
stuck erect in hair well stiffened with a 
goodly accumulation of sheep's-tail fat, the 
rancid odor whereof was far from enhan- 
cing the agremens of the interview. Izhak 
and Hajji Kasim, two elders of the blood- 
royal, with whom a much closer acquaint- 
ance was in store, were perfectly bald, — 
their patriarchal bearing and goodly pres- 
ence affording no bad imitation of the 
scriptural illustrations by the old masters 
of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. 
True to his word, the wag Aboo Bekr, as 
full of pleasantries as ever, had donned a 
preposterous tawny wig, quaintly manu- 
factured of the fleece of a sheep ; and in 
his smirking, facetious physiognomy was 
found the principal relief to the scowling 
satanic glances of the ill-favored rabble, 
dripping with tallow, and redolent of abom- 
inable smells, who crowded the tent to the 
choking of every doorway. 

It having heretofore been the invariable 
maxim of the sultan to exact a visit from 
the stranger before condescending to pay 
one himself, the departure from established 
rule in favor of the liege subjects of her 
Britannic majesty could not fail to prove 
eminently gratifying. Compliments of the 
most fulsome nature were bandied about 
with compound interest, as the coffee-cup 
passed round to the more distinguished of 
the Danakil guests. Promises of assist- 
ance the most specious were lavished by 
the authorities, in grateful acknowledg- 
ment whereof, Cachemire shawls, and Delhi 
embroidered scarfs of most exquisite work- 
manship, were liberally distributed, and as 
greedily tucked under the dirty cloth of the 
avaricious recipients ; and although, in ac- 
cordance with the unpolished custom of 
the country, no sort of salutation was of- 
fered when the conference broke up, the 
filthy guests departed with a semblance of 
good-humor, that had been observable in 
none at their first entrance. 

Widely different was the mood of the son 
of Ali Abi, chief of the Rookhba, as he 
rushed into the pavilion on the exit of his 
rival, the hereditary sultan of the Danakil. 
Lucifer, when gazing forth upon the newly 
created paradise, and plotting the downfall 
of the sinless inmates of the garden of 
Eden, looked not half so fiend-like as Mo- 
hammad Ali, while, trembling with jealousy 
and rage, he demanded the reason of hav- 
ing been so insultingly omitted in the dis- 
tribution of valuables ? " Am I then a dog," 
he continued, in the highest indignation, 
** and not worth the trouble of propitiating ? 
whereas that old dotard yonder is to have 
his empty skull bound with rich shawls 



from India, and his powerless relatives de- 
corated from head to foot. Inshallah, we 
shall see anon whether the sultan of the 
sea-beach, or the son of Ali Abi, keeps the 
key of the road to Habesh." 

Unlike the succession of every other 
government in the universe, the nominal 
sovereignty of the united tribes composing 
the Ada'i'el of Danakil nation, whereof Ta- 
jiira is the seat, is alternately vested in the 
adali and the abli, a sultan drawn from 
the one, being succeeded by his wazir, 
who is invariably a member of the other, 
while the individual to fill the post vacated 
by the latter, is elected by suffrage from 
the family of the sultan deceased. The 
town is besides the rendezvous of the pet- 
ty chiefs of all the surrounding clans, who, 
to the number of eight or ten, claim an 
equal voice in the senate, and with about 
a hundred litigious followers each, make 
it their head-quarters during the greater 
portion of the year. Mohammad Ali is 
the principal of these, and his powerful 
tribe occupying a central position on the 
road to Abyssinia, he asserts the right 
to escort all parties proceeding thither — a 
right which the sultan denies. The ne- 
cessity of propitiating at one time, and 
in the same place, two rival savages, pos- 
sessing equally the means of annoyance, 
while neither is sufficiently strong to afford 
protection against the interference of the 
other, rendered the negotiation one of con- 
siderable difficulty and delicacy ; nor was 
it without a vast expenditure of honied 
words, that the ruffled temper of the mal- 
content was finally soothed, and he was 
persuaded to waive the assertion of his re- 
cognized claim, until a more suitable op- 
portunity. 

All the tents having been erected, the 
steeds landed and picketed in the rear, and 
the heterogeneous mass of property which 
strewed the sea-beach reduced to a some- 
thing less chaotic state, a return visit to 
his highness was paid in full uniform ; 
and the cortege being swelled by the naval 
officers, an exceedingly gay procession of 
cocked hats, plumes, and gold lace, passed 
along the strand to the palace, under a be- 
fitting salute from the brig-of-war. The 
lounging population were altogether lost in 
amazement at the sight of such magnifi- 
cence—old and young, of both sexes, 
thronging the way-side, with features in- 
dicative of unequivocal admiration at the 
brilliancy of so unwonted a display. 

The thunder of artillery, to which the 
nervous old sultan does not conceal his 
insuperable aversion, still shook the unpre- 
tending couch whereon he quailed, as the 



CITY OF TAJURA. 



27 



orocession entered the fragile tenement of 
stakes and matting which constituted the 
divan ; and which, without possessing any 
pretensions to exclude either sun or rain, 
proved just sufficiently large to include the 
entire party. A renewal of hand-shaking 
in its coldest form, and a repetition of yes- 
terday's compliments, and of yesterday's 
promises made only to be broken, was fol- 
lowed by a general sipping of coffee, pre- 
pared, not in the royal kitchen, but in the 
cuisine of the embassy ; and after being 
scrutinized during ten minutes of suffocat- 
ing heat by numerous female eyes glisten- 
ing through an infinity of chinks and per- 
forations in the envious matting, the party 
returned, bearing as a costly token of his 
highness's regard, a cloth similar to that 
composing the royal mantle. 

It did indeed, in this instance, form mat- 
ter of heartfelt congratulation, that the re- 
gal custom was dispensed with, of investing 
the honored guest with a garment from the 
imperial wardrobe ! As the cavalcade, duly 
impressed with this sentiment, remounted 
at the gate of the thorn inclosure which 
fortifies the palace, the sultana vouchsafed 
a glimpse of her bedizened person from the 
stern cabin window of the " Mary Anne " 
— the withered frame of the ancient bel- 
damt;, embedded in spells, beads, amulets, 
and grease, forcibly reminding the specta- 
tor of the witch of Endor, and rendering her 
in very truth, a right seemly partner for her 
wrinkled lord. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

TAJURA, "THE CITY OF THE SLAVE MER- 
CHANT." 

In the heart of the peninsula of Arabia, 
environed on every side by rocky moun- 
tains, there stood, in the middle of the 
sixth century, a celebrated pagan shrine, 
that had been held in the most exalted 
veneration, during fourteen hundred years. 
The edifice was believed to cover the hal- 
lowed remains of Ishmael, the father of 
the wandering Bedouin, and it contained a 
certain sacred black stone, whereon the 
patriarch Jacob, saw the vision of the an- 
gels ascending into heaven. On its site, 
according to the Arab tradition, Adam 
pitched his tent when expelled from the 
garden of Eden, and there died Eve, the 
partner of his fall, whose grave of green 
sods is shown to the present day, upon the 
barren shores of the Red Sea. 

This shrine, of course, was none other 
than the famous temple of the sun at Mec- 
3* 



ca, since so consecrated by the lawgiver 
of the Mohammadans, as to form the focus 
of attraction to every true believer. The 
extraordinary veneration it received in 
those early days, concentrating the tide of 
commerce, rendered it the absorbing mart 
of Eastern trade. Abyssinia at that pe- 
riod held in occupation the adjacent prov- 
inces of Arabia Felix ; and Abrahah, the 
vicegerent of Yemen, conceiving the idea 
of diverting the channel to his own advan- 
tage, erected in the country of the Homer- 
ites a splendid Christian church, which, 
under the title of Keleisa, he endowed 
with the privileges, immunities, and emol- 
uments, that had pertained from all antiqui- 
ty, to the shrine of Sabaen idolatry. 

" If," says Gibbon, " a Christian power 
had been maintained in Arabia, Mahomet 
must have been crushed in his cradle, and 
Abyssinia would have prevented a revolt 
which has changed the civil and religious 
aspect of the world." But alarmed at the 
prospect of the desertion of their temple, 
both by votaries and merchants, the Beni 
Koreish, who held the keys of the black 
stone in hereditary right, polluted the rival 
fane at Saana, which had no equal, saving 
the palace of the Hamyar kings, and was 
calculated to insure the veneration of every 
pilgrim. Out of this sacrilege and affront 
arose the event celebrated in the Koran 
as " the war of the elephant." Mounted 
on a huge white elephant, Abrahah, sur- 
named El Ashrem, placing himself at the 
head of a vast army, proceeded to take re- 
venge on the idolaters ; but, misled by in- 
telligence artfully given by Aboo Taleb, 
grandfather to the apostle of God, he de- 
stroyed, instead of Kaaba, a temple of Osi- 
ris at TaVef, and the first recorded appear- 
ance of the smallpox, shortly afterward 
annihilated the Christian forces. 

The wars that distracted all Arabia, be- 
tween the Greeks and Persians in the first 
instance, and subsequently between Ma- 
homet and the population in support of his 
divine mission, had greatly impaired the 
traffic carried on by general consent at the 
temple of Mecca. A caravan scarcely 
ever ventured forth by any road, that it 
was not plundered by the opposing parti- 
sans, and merchants as well as trade grad- 
ually departed south of the Arabian Gulf, 
to sea-ports which, in earlier times, had 
been the emporia of commerce with the 
East. Rahei'ta, Zeyla, Tajilra, and a num- 
ber of other towns in the Indian Ocean 
thus recovered their importance and their 
lost prosperity. The conquest of the 
Abyssinian territories in Arabia, drove 
every Ethiopian to the African shores. 



28 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Little districts now grew into great con- 
sideration. Mara, Hadea, Aussa, and Adel, 
among other petty states, assumed unto 
themselves the title of kingdoms, and short- 
ly acquired power and wealth eclipsing 
many of the more ancient monarchies. 

The miserable town of Tajiira, " the ci- 
ty of the slave merchant," as it exists at 
the present day, demands no further de- 
scription. It was for two years in the 
hands of the Turks, who occupied it after 
the taking of Massowah, and converted 
into a fort a venerable mosque, now in ru- 
ins, on the sea- beach near the palace. But 
no consistent chronicle, either of the cap- 
ture or evacuation, is to be expected where 
every man is notorious equally as a boast- 
er and a liar, and making himself the indi- 
vidual hero in every passage of arms, never 
fails to extol his own clan as immeasura- 
bly superior in valor to every other. The 
melancholy 'aspect of the place is but too 
well calculated to convey to the traveller 
a foretaste of the sufferings inseparable 
from a pilgrimage through any portion of 
the country denominated Adel ; and each 
barbarian of the entire population of Ta- 
jiira will be found, on sad experience, a 
type of the Dankali nation ! 

Bigoted Mohammadans, punctual to the 
call of the muezzin, praying three times 
in excess of the exactions of the prophet, 
often passing the entire night in the 
mosque, or sitting in council at its thresh- 
old; sedulously attentive to the outward 
forms of their creed, though few have suf- 
ficient energy to undertake a pilgrimage to 
the Kaaba, and content, like other hypo- 
crites, with a rigid observance of externals 
— the Danakil rise from their devotions 
well primed with Moslem intolerance, and 
are perfectly ready to lie and cheat, as oc- 
casion may offer. Unoccupied, and at a 
loss for honest employment, idlers without 
number sauntered about the pavilion at all 
times and seasons, entering at pleasure, 
and monopolizing chairs and tables with 
the insolent independence which forms one 
of their most prominent features. Sup- 
ported by a long staff, the ruffians gazed 
for hours together at the novel splendor of 
the equipage; and invariably disfigured by 
a large quid of tobacco adulterated with 
ashes, squirted the redundant saliva over 
the carpet, although squatted on the out- 
side of the door, with ample space at com- 
mand. But although thieves by profession 
on a grand scale, they fortunately contriv- 
ed to keep their hands from picking and 
stealing ; and notwithstanding that the 
tents were thus thronged from morning till 
night, and the 6ea-beach for many weary 



days was strewed with boxes and bales of 
truly tempting exterior, nothing whatever 
was abstracted. 

The classic costume of the people of 
this sea-port consists of a white cotton 
robe, thrown carelessly over the shoulder, 
in the manner of the old Roman toga ; a 
blue checked kilt reaching to the knees, 
simply buckled about the waist by a leath- 
ern belt, which supports a most formida- 
ble creese, and a pair of rude undressed 
sandals to protect the feet of such as can 
afford the luxury. The plain round buck- 
ler and the broad-headed spear, without 
which few ever cross their threshold, ren- 
ders the naturally graceful and manly fig- 
ure of almost every individual, a subject 
for the artist's pencil ; but the population 
are to a man filthy in the extreme, and the 
accumulated dirt upon their persons and 
apparel leaves a taint behind, that might 
readily be traced without the intervention 
of a bloodhound. Rancid mutton fat, an 
inch thicks frosts a bushy wig of cauli- 
flower growth, which harbors myriads of 
vermin. Under the melting rays of a trop- 
ical sun, the grease pours copiously over 
the skin , and the use of water, except as 
a beverage, being a thing absolutely un- 
heard of, a Dankali pollutes the atmo- 
sphere with effluvium, such as is only to 
be encountered elsewhere in the purlieus 
of a tallow-chandler's shop. 

All are vain of scars, and desirous of 
displaying them ; but little favor is shown 
for other outward ornament ; and the mi- 
serly disposition which pervades the breast 
both of young and old, inducing an effort 
toward the concealment of property pos- 
sessed, a paltry silver ring in the ear, a 
band of copper wire round the junction of 
the spear blade with the shaft, or pewter 
mountings to the creese, form the sum to- 
tal of decoration on the arms and persons 
even of the most extravagant. Fops in 
numbers are to be seen at Tajura, who 
have called in the aid of moist quicklime 
toward the conversion of the naturally 
jet black peruke to a most atrocious foxy 
red — when judicious frizzing, and the in- 
sertion of the wooden skewer, used for 
scratching, completes the resemblacc to a 
carriage mop. But this novel process of 
dyeing, so contrary to that employed by 
civilized beaux, is only in fashion among 
the Somauli, who, in common with the 
Danakil dandies, employ, in lieu of a 
down pillow, a small wooden bolster, 
shaped like a crutch, which receives the 
neck, and during the hours of presumed 
uncomfortable repose, preserves the peri- 
wig from derangement. 



EDUCATION— BARTER OF WOMEN. 



29 



Massy amulets in leathern envelopes, or 
entire Korans in quarto or octavo, are 
borne on the unpurified person of almost 
every individual; and the ancient Arab 
remedy of swallowing the water in which 
passages from the holy book have been 
washed from the board or paper whereon 
they are inscribed, is in universal repute, 
as a sovereign medicine for every ailment 
to which frail flesh is heir — the firm of 
sultan, wazir and kazi, who alone pos- 
sess the privilege of wearing turbans, 
holding the monopoly, and driving a most 
profitable trade by the preparation of this 
simple, but potent specific. Large doses 
of melted sheep's-tail-fat are, moreover, 
swallowed on certain occasions ; and a 
native Esculapius gave proof of the per- 
fection to which the dentist's art has at- 
tained at Tajiira, by dexterously detaching 
a carious tooth from the stubborn jaws of 
a submissive old woman, with the patent 
machinery of a rusty nail as a punch, 
struck with a heavy stone picked up on 
the sea-beach, where the operation was 
performed for the edification of the en- 
campment. Applications were neverthe- 
less frequent for European aid — a venera- 
ble priest numbering threescore years and 
ten, peremptorily demanding, in addition 
to a philter, the instantaneous removal of 
two obstinate cataracts, which had long 
dimmed his sight, and upon which he had 
vainly expended the teeth of half the 
mules in Tajiira, roasted, and reduced to 
an impalpable powder. 

Education, to the extent of spelling the 
Koran, is general, and all speak Arabic as 
well as Dankali ; the lore of the most 
learned being, however, restricted to a 
smattering of the holy book, with a very 
confused idea of numerals, and ability to 
indite a scraggy Arabic letter, which when 
completed with infinite labor, the writer is 
often puzzled to decipher. To the immor- 
tal honor of the sultan be it here recorded, 
that although the oldest male inhabitant of 
Tajiira, he is a solitary instance of non- 
acquaintance with the alphabet. The 
swarthy cheek of every urchin who dis- 
tinguishes himself by diligence or quick- 
ness, receives in token thereof, a dash of 
white chalk, a black streak in like manner 
disgracing the idle and stupid ; but the 
pedagogue would appear to omit the resi- 
due of this oriental custom — the stuffing i 
the mouths of the well-behaved with su- 
gar-candy, which would doubtless prove 
a source of much greater enjoyment. 

In the evening the ingenuous youth of 
the town, each armed with a creese in case 
of quarrel, convene in numbers on the 



common, to play a game which combines 
hockey and foot-ball; the residue of their 
time being spent in angling, when the ju- 
venile Walton stands up to the chin in the 
salt sea, and employing his head as a sub- 
stitute for the reel, spins out a dozen yards 
of line in a truly fisherman-like manner. 
Numbers spent the period of their relax- 
ation from study in gaping with the adults 
at the door of the pavilion, while the 
magic effect of the magnet was exhibited, 
or fire produced from the human mouth 
by means of a promethean, here emphatic- 
ally denominated " the devil." 

The softer sex of Tajiira, while young, 
possess a tolerable share of comeliness, 
and a pleasing expression withal ; but they 
are speedily past the meridian of beauty. 
A close blue chemise, a plain leathern pet- 
ticoat, or a cloth reaching to the ankles, 
and a liberal coat of lard over extrava- 
gantly braided ringlets, which are knotted 
with white beads, form the toilet of maid, 
wife, and widow. An occasional neck- 
lace of colored beads falling over the sable 
bosom, a pendant of brass or silver wire 
of no ordinary dimensions in the ear, and 
large ivory bracelets or anklets, proclaim 
the besetting foible of the sex : but orna- 
ments are by no means general. Moham- 
madan jealousy tends to the seclusion of 
the better order of females to a certain ex- 
tent ; but a marriage in high life, when 
the procession passed close to the encamp- 
ment, afforded an opportunity not always 
enjoyed, of beholding the beauty and 
fashion of the place. The matrimonial 
shackles are here easily loosed ; and the 
greater portion of the population being 
deeply engaged in the slave-trade with the 
interior, have their rude houses filled with 
temporary wives, who are from time to 
time unceremoniously shipped for the Ara- 
bian market, in order that the funds ac- 
cruing from the sale of their persons may 
be invested in new purchases. 

Agriculture there is none. Every man 
is a merchant, and waxes sufficiently rich 
on his extensive slave exportations, to im- 
port from other climes the produce he re- 
quires. An extensive traffic is carried on 
with Aussa and Abyssinia, in which near- 
ly all are engaged at some period of the 
year. Indian and Arabian manufactures, 
pewter, zinc, copper and brass wire, beads, 
and salt in large quantities, are at these 
inland marts exchanged for slaves, grain, 
ivory, and other produce of the interior — 
salt and human beings forming, however, 
the chief articles of barter. Virgin Mary 
German crowns of Maria Theresa, 1780, 
as integrals, and strips of raw hide for 



30 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



sandal soles, as fractionals, form the cur- 
rency of the sea-port ; beads, buttons, 
mirrors, trinkets, empty bottles, snuff, and 
tobacco, being also received in exchange 
for the necessaries of life. 

Avarice is the ruling passion — the sa- 
lient point in the character of the Dankali. 
His whole soul is engrossed in amassing 
wealth, while he is by nature indolent and 
lazy, and would fain acquire riches with- 
out treading the laborious up-hill path 
toward their attainment. Miserly in dis- 
position, there is not an individual of the 
whole community, from the sultan down- 
ward, who would not infinitely prefer the 
present receipt of two pieces of silver, to 
a promissory note for twenty at the ex- 
piration of a week, upon the very best 
security. " Trees attain not to their 
growth in a single day," remarked Ali 
Shermarki, after remonstrating with the 
grasping ruler on his inordinate love of 
lucre — " take the tree as your text, and 
learn that property is only to be accumu- 
lated by slow degrees." " True," retorted 
the old miser; "but, sheikh, you must 
have lost sight of the fact, that my leaves 
are already withered, and that if I would 
be rich, I have not a moment to lose." 



CHAPTER IX. 

FORETASTE OF DANAKIL KNAVERY. 

A share of thirty thousand German 
crowns, the annual profits accruing from 
the sale of three thousand human beings 
kidnapped in the interior, renders every 
native of Tajura a man of competent in- 
dependence. It is not, therefore, surpris- 
ing that the usual rates of transport hire, 
added to a knowledge of the exigencies of 
the embassy, should have produced in this 
avaricious, but indolence-loving race, no 
particular desire to bestir themselves. All 
are camel owners to a g'-eater or less ex- 
tent ; but the presence of so many interest- 
ed parties, tended not a little to increase 
the difficulties inseparable from dealings 
with so very list'ess and dilatory a set of 
savages — it being of course requisite to 
consult the advantage of all, to which, as 
might be conjectured, all are most feel- 
ingly alive. The ashes cf ancient feuds 
were still smoking on the arrival of the 
British ; and notwithstanding that it was 
matter of notoriety that the amount dis- 
bursed at the time of departure for Shoa, 
would be diminished in the exact ratio 
of the delay experienced — and although, 



to judge from the surface, anairs looked 
prosperous enough toward the speedy 
completion of carriage, there was ever an 
adverse under-current setting ; and the ap- 
athy of the savage feeding upon listless 
delays, the party were doomed for a weary 
fortnight to endure the merciless heat of 
the Tajura sun, whose tardy departure was 
followed by a close muggy atmosphere, 
only occasionally alleviated by the burst- 
ing of a thunder-storm over the peak of 
Jebel Goodah, and to be perpetually de- 
ceived by the falsest promises, without 
being able to discover where to lay the 
blame. Bribes were lavished, increased 
hire acceded to, and camels repeatedly 
brought into the town ; but day a;ter day 
found the dupes to Danakil knavery still 
seated, like shipwrecked mariners, upon 
the shore, gazing in helpless melancholy at 
endless bales which strewed the strand, as if 
washed up by the waves of the fickle ocean. 

During this tedious detention, which, as 
the sun shone fiercer and the close nights 
grew hotter with the rapidly advancing sea- 
son, waxed daily more irksome and insup- 
portable, and even threatened to arrest the 
journey altogether, the most conflicting ac- 
counts were received from various inter- 
ested parties, of the actual extent of the 
sultan's jurisdiction, averred by himself to 
have no limits nearer than the frontier of 
Efat. His revenues were ascertained to be 
restricted to two hundred head of oxen, 
camels, sheep, and goats, paid annually by 
the adjacent Danakil tribes, and it was 
certain that he enjoyed circumscribed pre- 
rogatives, based upon ancient usage ; but 
aljiough nothing is done or undertaken, 
without his concurrence duly obtained, he 
possesses no discretion to punish disobedi- 
ence of his will, and is precluded from act- 
ing in the most trivial matter without the 
consent, in full conclave, of the majority of 
the chiefs. Possessing little or no power 
over his nominal subjects, he is merely a 
puppet, looked up to by the wild tribes as 
the head of the principal family — infirmity 
and utter imbecility of character rendering 
his highness, at the same time, little bet- 
ter than a laughing-stock. 

Faithless and rapacious, his insatiable 
avarice induced him to take every extor- 
tionate advantage of the helpless party at 
his mercy, while his tottering sway de- 
barred him the power of reserving to him- 
self the exclusive right of pillage. Private 
as well as public kaldms were daily held 
for hours at the sacred threshold of the 
mosque, during which new schemes of vil- 
lainy and plunder were devised ; and date 
leaves were indolently plaited by a host of 



ARAB EXTORTION— ROYAL SALUTE. 



31 



apathetic legislators, as the propriety of 
permitting the departure inland of the Chris- 
tian Kafirs was fully discussed and deliber- 
ated over with all the vicious bigotry of the 
Moslem zealot. 

In order to ascertain how far fraud and 
impertinence might be carried with impu- 
nity, a deputation of the artful elders be- 
leagured the pavilion during the dead of 
night, to complain, in no measured terms, 
that certain of the followers, regardless of 
orders, had been seen endeavoring, with 
beads and trinkets, to betray the virtue of 
females who drew water at the w r ell — a tale 
which proved, on due inquiry instituted, to 
be, like other Danakil asseverations, devoid 
of the slightest truth or foundation. Not 
even a paltry water-skin was to be pur- 
chased from a schoolboy under the disburse- 
ment of a silver fuloos, value four sterling 
shillings ; and a courier, who had, at three 
times the established charge, been furnish- 
ed on the security of the high and mighty 
sultan, to convey to Ankober a letter ad- 
vising the King of Shoa of the advent of 
the embassy, was, after being three entire 
days and nights in possession of his ill-got- 
ten wealth, discovered to be still snug with- 
in his mat-house, in the bosom of his family. 

The letter in question had fixed the day 
of departure, and had been written in the 
most public manner before the assembled 
chiefs, in order, if possible, to counteract in 
some measure the tissue of underplots hour- 
ly developing, and to demonstrate to the 
Danakil capacity, that, whether camels 
were forthcoming or not, the journey would 
positively be undertaken ; and the nefari- 
ous detention of the document, after the 
receipt of such exorbitant hire, being per- 
fectly in keeping with the outrageously 
unprincipled and underhand treatment ex- 
perienced from the first moment of arrival, 
the sultan was at last plainly informed that 
further shuffling and falsehood would avail 
him nothing ; since, if carriage were not 
immediately furnished in accordance with 
the plausible agreement concluded, the 
heavy baggage would be reshipped for Cape 
Aden, and the party would advance in de- 
fiance of opposition, with ten camels that 
had been brought by sea from Zeyla, by 
the nephews of Sheikh Shermarki. Mo- 
hammad Ali, too, was now heart and hand 
in the cause, and his jealous rival, on re- 
ceipt of this unpleasant intimation, began 
plainly enough to perceive that his guests 
were in right earnest, and that the golden 
opportunity of filling his coffers was pass- 
ing rapidly away. 

The royal salute, fired alternately from 
the decks of the brig and schooner, each 



tricked out in all her colors, with gay sig- 
nal flags in honor of the natal day of her 
most gracious majesty the queen, envel- 
oped the town during forty minutes in a 
dense white smoke, accompanied by a most 
unpleasant smell of gunpowder ; and du- 
ring the entire day, the beach in front of 
the British encampment wore the sem- 
blance of a disturbed ant-hill. European 
and native — master and servant — the latter 
from every nation under the sun, Arab, 
Persian, Nubian, Armenian, Egyptian, Sy- 
rian, Greek, and Portuguese, — all in a state 
of most active bustle, were selecting light 
baggage for the approaching departure ; 
while crowds of oily savages, squatted on 
their hams, looked on in smiling apathy at 
the heaps of valuable commodities that were 
tossing about the sands. Twenty-one Brit- 
ish officers subsequently sat down to din- 
ner in the crimson pavilion, and the health 
of Queen Victoria having been given with 
nine times nine, another salute bursting 
from the sides of the vessels of war, shook 
the frail town to its foundations, and re- 
echoed long and loud among the mountain- 
glens — flights of rockets ascending at short 
intervals to illumine the dark sky. 

The deafening din of the thirty-two- 
pound stern-chaser of the " Constance," 
which pointed directly toward the royal 
abode, proved too much for the nerves of 
the timid sultan ; and no sooner had the 
lights been extinguished, than his spectral 
figure, which ever shunned the day, glided 
into the tent unannounced, and ghostlike, 
muttered the agreeable intelligence that 
his highness, after consulting the horo- 
scope, and ascertaining beyond all doubt 
that the journey would prove propitious — 
a fact not previously determined — had 
come to the resolution, wise though late, 
of supplying the desired carriage without 
further delay, and deputing his own son as 
a safeguard through the tribes — services 
for which the apparition felt confident of 
receiving a suitable reward. The voice 
of the chieftains had become unanimous. 
At the last of a long succession of meet- 
ings convened for the purpose of taking 
the affair into full consideration, Abdool 
Rahman, the kazi, in his capacity of law- 
giver, had risen from his seat in the assem- 
bly, and ably demonstrated to his mat- 
weaving audience, why all animosities and 
heart-burnings must be sunk in the gene- 
ral object of making money, and getting 
rid as expeditiously as possible of a party 
of Kafirs, whose guns, unshotted, threaten- 
ed the destruction of the mosque of the 
true believer and the to'al demolition of 
Tajura. The Fatheh, being the first chap- 



82 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ter of the holy Koran, was duly read, and 
the Danakil conclave with one voice voci- 
ferated a loud Ameen, even so let it be ! 



CHAPTER X. 

LONG ADIEU TO THE UNPRINCIPLED SUL- 
TAN. 

From this eventful epoch, each sultry 
diy did indeed bring a numerical acces- 
sion to the beasts of burden collected in 
the town ; but they were owned of many 
and self-willed proprietors ; were, gene- 
rally speaking, of the most feeble descrip- 
tion, melancholy contrasts to the gigantic 
and herculean dromedary of Egypt and 
Arabia ; and no trifling delay was still in 
store, through their arrival from distant 
pastures bare-backed, which involved the 
necessity of making up new furniture for 
the march. The Dankali saddle is fortu- 
nately a simple contrivance ; a mat com- 
posed of plaited date-leaves thrown over 
the hump, supporting four sticks lashed 
together in couples, and kept clear of the 
spinal process by means of two rollers as 
pads, having been proved by centuries of 
experience to be not more light than 
efficient. Accoutrements completed, and 
camels ready for the march, other provok- 
ing excuses for delay were not wanting, 
to fill, even to overflowing, the measure of 
annoyance. The demise of a nephew of 
the sultan — the protracted funeral obse- 
quies of the deceased — and the almost 
nightly abstraction of one or more hired 
camels by the lurking Bedouin, all con- 
tributed their mite. At length, however, 
no further pretext could be devised, and 
nine loads being actually in motion toward 
Ambabo, the first halting-ground on the 
road to the kingdom of Shoa, the schooner 
" Constance," getting under weigh, stood 
up the bay of Tajilra, and cast anchor off 
the incipient camp, of which the position 
was denoted by a tall cluster of palms. 

Endless objections beingnow provoking- 
ly raised to the shape, size, and weight of 
the boxes to be transported, it next be- 
came requisite to reduce the dimensions 
of the greater number, in the progress of 
which operation it w r as discovered that the 
hurry of transhipment at Aden had result- 
ed in the substitution of several dozens of 
choice marasquino, for a similar number 
of cases, of equal size, freighted with 
round shot for the galloper guns. The 
work in hand was one of no ordinary labor 
and difficulty ; and, after all, its completion 



proved insufficient to satisfy the parties. 
One blockhead complained that his load 
was heavier than his neighbor's, who had 
wisely risen earlier in the morning to 
make his selection ; another, that his case, 
although confessedly light, was not of 
convenient size ; one was too long, another 
not long enough, a third too deep, and a 
fourth too loosely packed. From earliest 
dawn, until final close of day, on a sandy 
beach, under a broiling sun, was this tor- 
ment continued without intermission, until 
the 30th of May, when, by dint of coaxing, 
menacing, and bribing, every article had 
been removed saving an unwieldy hand- 
organ, at which every camel-owner had 
shaken his wig in turn, and a few stand 
of arms which had been removed from 
wooden cases, and repacked in mats and 
tarpaulins. A great hulking savage finally 
proposed to carry these latter, upon condi- 
tion of their being transversely divided 
with a saw, to suit the backs of his wretch- 
ed hip-galled camels. " You are a tall 
man," quoth Aboo Bekr drolly, " suppose 
we shorten you by the legs ?" " No, no !" 
cried the barbarian ; " I 'm flesh and blood, 
and shall be spoiled." " So will the con- 
tents of these cases, you offspring of an 
ass," retorted the old pilot, " if you divide 
them." 

The almost insurmountable difficulties 
experienced in obtaining carriage, but now 
happily overcome, had so far delayed the 
advance of the embassy, as to oblige it to 
cross the Tehama during the height of the 
fieTy and unwholesome blast which, during 
the months of June and July, sweeps over 
that waterless tract from the southwest ; 
and had moreover rendered it impossible 
to reach Abyssinia before the setting in of 
the annual heavy rains, when the river 
Hawash becomes impassable for week* 
together. Independently of the natural 
apathy of the camel-owning population, 
the fact of the season of all intercourse 
with the interior, by kafilah, having al- 
ready passed away, rendered every one 
averse, under any consideration of gain, to 
so hazardous a journey. Grain was to be 
carried for the consumption of horses and 
mules, during the passage of arid regions, 
where, during the hot season, neither 
vegetation nor water exists ; and the wells 
and pools having notoriously failed in 
every part of the road, during three con- 
secutive seasons of unusual drought, it was 
necessary to entertain a large proportion 
of transport for a supply of water sufficient 
to last both man and beast for two and 
three days at a time ; while, neither gr?.- ; s 
nor green food remaining near the eea- 



RAPACITY OF THE ARABS. 



33 



shore, the hundred and seventy camels 
now forming the caravan, had been indi- 
vidually assembled from various grazing 
grounds, many miles distant in the interior. 

A sufficient number of water-skins had 
fortunately been purchased, at exorbitant 
prices, to complete the equipment, together 
^ith mules for the conveyance of the Eu- 
ropean escort and artillery ; and the greedy 
sultan, besides receiving the lion's share 
of the profits on all, had sold his own riding- 
beast for three times its worth in solid 
silver. But the forage brought over from 
Aden, being long since consumed, the 
whole were fed upon dates, and to the 
latest moment, the greatest difficulty con- 
tinued to exist in regard to followers. 
The services of neither Dankali, Bedouin, 
nor Somauli, were obtained at whatever 
wages ; and the whole of the long train of 
live stock was consequently to be attended 
by a few worthless horsekeepers, enlisted 
at Aden, aided by a very limited number 
of volunteers from the shipping, whose in- 
different characters gave ample promise 
of their subsequent misdeeds. 

On the departure of the last load, a 
general begging commenced on a grand 
scale, on the part of all who flattered 
themselves that they had in the most re- 
mote manner been so fortunate as to ren- 
der assistance during the protracted so- 
journ of the Kafirs. Many, whose claims 
were far from being apparent, after con- 
fessing themselves satisfied in propriis 
personis, modestly urged demands on be- 
half of their still more worthless neigh- 
bors ; and in order to have any chance of 
passing in safety to the mountains, with so 
long a line of camels, it was only prudent 
to propitiate each and all of this predatory 
host of locusts, before entering upon their 
lawless country. 

With a feeling of pleasure akin to that 
experienced by Gil Bias, when he escaped 
from the robbers' cave, the party at length 
bade adieu to Tajura. Of all the various 
classes and denominations of men who in- 
habit the terrestrial globe, the half-civilized 
savages peopling this sea-port, are, per- 
haps, the most thoroughly odious and de- 
testable. They have ingeniously contrived 
to lose every virtue wherewith the rude 
tribes to which they pertain, may once 
have been adorned ; and having acquired 
nothing in exchange, save the vices of 
their more refined neighbors, the scale of 
abject degradation to which they are now 
reduced, can hardly descend lower. Under 
this sweeping and very just condemnation, 
the impotent sultan, Mohammad ibn Mo- 
hammad, stands preeminently in relief; 



and the old miser's rapacity continuing un- 
sated, up to the very latest moment, he 
clutched his long staff betwixt his skinny 
fingers, and hobbled forth from his den, 
resolved to squeeze yet another hundred 
dollars as a parting memento from his 
British victims. The European escort 
were in the act of mounting the mules al- 
ready harnessed to the galloper gun, which 
he had vainly persuaded himself could 
never be transported from the coast, since 
no camel-owner consented to take it, and 
repeated attempts that he had witnessed to 
yoke a pair of oxen to the limbers had 
proved unsuccessful, even after their stub- 
born noses were pierced. But mule har- 
ness had been ably manufactured to meet 
the exigency, and when his lustreless eyes 
beheld the party in horse-artillery order, 
firmly seated in their saddles, and moving 
along the strand toward Ambabo — forget- 
ting the vile errand upon which he had 
come, he involuntarily exclaimed, " In the 
name of Allah and the holy Prophet, whi- 
ther are those fellows going ?" " Raheen el 
Hdbesh" " to Abyssinia," was the laconic 
reply that fell upon his astounded ears as 
the whips cracked merrily in succession ; 
and his highness was long after seen, 
still leaning on his slender crutch, and 
staring in idiotic vacancy after the depart- 
ing cavalcade, as it disappeared under a 
cloud of dust from before his leaden gaze. 



CHAPTER XI. 

INIQUITOUS PROCEEDINGS AT AMBAEO, AND 
UNDERSTANDING WITH THE RAS EL KA- 
FILAH. 

The tall masts of the schooner-of-war, 
raking above the belt of dwarf-jungle that 
skirts the tortuous coast, served as a bea- 
con to the new camp, the distance of which 
from the town of Tajura was less than four 
mile*?. A narrow footpath wound along 
the burning sands, across numerous water- 
courses, from the impending mountain 
range of trachyte and porphyry, whose 
wooded base, thickly clothed with mimosa 
and euphorbia antiquorum, harbored swine, 
pigmy antelope, and guinea-fowl in abund- 
ance. Many large trees, uprooted by the 
wintry torrent, had been swept far out to 
sea, where, in derision of the waves that 
buffet their dilapidated, stag-horn looking 
arms, they will long ride safely at anchor. 
The pelican of the wilderness, sailed 
through the tossing surf ; and files of Be- 
douin damsels, in greasy leathern petti- 



34 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



coats, bending beneath a load of fuel from 
the adjacent hamlets, traversed the sultry- 
strand ; while a long train of wretched 
children, with streaming elf-like locks, 
who had been kidnapped in the unexplored 
interior, wended their weary way with a 
slave caravan, toward the sea-port, whence 
they were to be sold into foreign bondage. 
An avenue through the trees presently 
revealed the white tent, occupying a se- 
questered nook on the course of a moun- 
tain-stream, near its junction with the shore. 
Here horses and mules were doing their 
utmost, by diligently cropping the scanty 
tufts of sunburnt grass, to repair their re- 
cent long abstinence from forage, while the 
abbreviated tails of those which had been 
improved by mutilation, formed the jest of 
a group of grinning savages. Clumps of 
lofty fan- palms, and date-trees loaded with 
ripe orange-colored fruit, still screened 
from view the village of Ambabo, the 
straggling Gothic-roofed wigwams com- 
posing which, have the same wagon-like 
appearance as the huts of Tajura — a simi- 
lar style of architecture, extending even 
to the unostentatious mosque, alone dis- 
tinguishable from the surrounding edifices, 
by uncarved minarets of wood. 

Greasy ragamuffins still intruding, here 
continued their teazing persecutions, and 
Mohammad Mohammad, the son, though 
not the heir to the throne of the sultan, 
having been specially appointed by his dis- 
reputable sire to the important post of re- 
porter and spy, unceremoniously occupied 
one of the chairs, to the exclusion of the 
lawful proprietor, during the entire day. 
He however proved useful, in so far that 
he was versed in the chronicle of Ambabo, 
The nakhuda of one of his uncle's bug- 
galows, having contrived a quarrel with a 
member of the tribe Hassoba, one of the 
manifold subdivisions of the Danakil, the 
man threw the gauntlet of defiance by 
cutting off the prow of the boat. Meeting 
shortly afterward in deadly conflict, the in- 
sulted mariner slew his antagonist on the 
spot, and took refuge in the hills, until, 
tired of long concealment, and believing 
the affair to be consigned to oblivion, he 
ventured to settle with his family at Am- 
babo. and thus founded the present village ; 
but after some years of repose, he was 
discovered by the relatives of the slain ; 
and, as usual in all blood feuds, ultimately 
assassinated. Occupying a site proverb- 
ially unhealthy, and scourged during the 
rains by insupportable clouds of muske- 
toes, the miserable hamlet is but thinly 
peopled ; and the sheikh being on far from 
amicable terms with the authorities of Ta- 



jura, it is likely soon to be abandoned in 
favor of some more eligible location. 

A red savage, falsely representing him- 
self to be one of the household of his 
Christian majesty of Shoa, arrived during 
the afternoon from Ank&ber, with letters 
from Aden ; and having safely deposited 
his packet on board the " Constance," was 
readily induced to return whence he came, 
with the embassy. Deeni ibn Hamed, 
a liar of the first magnitude, but the only 
Dankali who had voluntarily attached 
himself to the fortunes of the party, con- 
ceiving the arrival of this courier to afford 
an opening for the exercise of his talents, 
which ought on no account to be neglect- 
ed, immediately proceeded to tax his lively 
ingenuity in disclosing the contents of a 
document, which he pretended had been 
received from Sahela Selassie, by the old 
ruffian, from whose clutches his audience 
had just thankfully escaped ; and the mass 
of gratuitous falsehoods, that he contrived 
to string together with an unblushing 
front, must be admitted to reflect ample 
credit upon his fertile invention. 

Lying appeared in fact to be the chosen 
occupation of this youthful warrior, who, 
however, unlike the mass of his compat- 
riots, did possess some redeeming qualities, 
though they were by no means so conspic- 
uous as his scars. The insuperable aver- 
sion to veracity which he evinced on every 
occasion, renders it difficult to determine 
what degree of credit may be attached to 
the tragic tale, that he was pleased to con- 
nect with a deep gash over the temple, 
which distorted his vision ; and if not re- 
ceived in a less honorable rencontre than 
he pretended, affords another to the ten 
thousand instances on record, of the sav- 
age rancor with which blood feuds are 
prosecuted. " My maternal uncle, and a 
native of Zeyla," said Deeni, " becoming 
embroiled, mutually unsheathed their cree- 
ses in mortal strife, fought desperately, and 
died. The brother of the latter sought my 
life in revenge, as being the nearest of 
kin ; but after receiving this slash upon 
my forehead, and another on my arm, 
which I shall also carry to my grave, I 
closed, stabbed the Somauli villain to the 
heart, with this good creese ; and, glory 
be to God ! divided his windpipe with his 
own sword." 

Profiting by the amiable example of the 
illustrious ruler of Tajura, the Sheikh of 
Ambabo, a most notable extortioner, re- 
solved to put his claim to a sum of ready 
money beyond a shadow of doubt, placed a 
strong Bedouin guard over the only well ; 
and although he had every reason to be. 



IZHAK AND HIS CONFEDERATES. 



35 



satisfied with the success of his nefarious 
schemes, he did not possess sufficient grati- 
tude to prevent the commission of a rob- 
bery during the night, which might have 
proved more serious than it did. Solace 
under all misfortunes and annoyances was, 
however, found in the arrival of Mahom- 
mad Ali on the 31st, with a welcome ac- 
cession of camels for the carriage of water, 
which rendered certain the prospect of de- 
parture on the morrow, it having been dis- 
tinctly promised by the sultan, in return 
for a handsome pecuniary consideration, 
that his brother Izhak, who had been unani- 
mously appointed ras el kafilah, his son, 
his nephew, and seven other persons of 
undoubted influence on the road, should be 
in readiness without fail, to escort the em- 
bassy on the 1st of June, and that the re- 
ward of their services should be paid, ad 
valorem, upon safe arrival within the king- 
dom of Shoa. 

Three hours after midnight, the galloper 
gun, fired within the limits of the British 
camp as a summons to the drowsy camel- 
drivers to be up and doing, was echoed, 
according to previous agreement, by the 
long stern-chaser of the " Constance " — a 
signal to the "Euphrates," still anchored 
off Tajura, to thunder a farewell salute as 
the day dawned. The work of loading was 
merrily commenced — the tent went down 
— and camel after camel moved off toward 
Dullool ; when, on the departure of the last 
string, it was observed with dismay that 
the ground was still strewed with baggage, 
for which carriage had unquestionably been 
paid and entertained, but for which none 
was forthcoming. The greasy proprietors 
were, after some search, discovered below 
the bushes, engaged in the operation of 
jerking mutton — a process sufficiently nau- 
seous in itself to repel any close advance ; 
but persuasion • and threats proved alike 
unavailing. Some had already sent their 
camels to graze at a distance ; others in- 
solently expressed their intention of doing 
so after the completion of their interesting 
work, and by far the greater number would 
vouchsafe no explanation whatever. At 
length the provoking riddle was solved by 
the arrival of a peremptory message from 
the sultan, naming the price of the attend- 
ance of his brother with the promised escort, 
and modestly requesting that the amount 
might forthwith be disbursed, or the bar- 
gain must be considered null and void ! 

In this awkward dilemma, one of the 
party was immediately dispatched to create 
a diversion among the Philistines, and to 
remonstrate against so gross a breach of 
good faith ; while the residue, awaiting his 



tardy return, passed the sultry day beneath 
the mock shelter afforded by a low date 
bush, shifting position with the deceitful 
shadow, which, before any further tidings 
were received of the delinquent old sultan 
and his ungovernable myrmidons, was cast 
full on the eastern side. At length the 
anxiously straining eye was relieved by the 
appearance of the messenger on his way 
back. After a world of trouble, he had 
succeeded in hunting out some of the el- 
ders, who, however, would only consent to 
accompany him on the payment of every 
stuiver of the demand made in the morning, 
and, quietly possessed of the dollars, they 
had thought proper to detain the escort. 

Izhak, backed by Ibrahim Shehem, the 
most renowned warrior in the next ten 
tribes, sat as orator on the occasion. The 
demeanor of the ras bordered closely on 
the insolent. A heavy load of impudence 
could be detected under his broad pudding- 
face ; and his desire to be impertinent was 
favored in no small degree by the presence 
of heaps of valuable baggage lying at his 
mercy upon the ground. The deputation 
was received quite as coldly as their dis- 
honest and most provoking behavior de- 
manded ; a silence of several minutes af- 
fording to each, leisure to pick out his curly 
locks, and cool himself a little, the whole 
having walked out in the broiling sun, and 
become considerably excited withal. Dis- 
tant inquiries were at length instituted 
relative to the august health of the sultan 
and the royal family, which were stiffly 
responded to after the current Dankali 
fashion, " Hamdu lillah," " thanks be unto 
God!" 

The conference then opened with a blus- 
ter concerning the movement of the ka- 
filah from Ambabo without the presence, 
order, or consent of the ras, who, after 
sneering at the attempt as a most unpre- 
cedented proceeding, and indulging in a 
very gratuitous tirade against Mahommad 
Ali, whom he styled in derision "the sup- 
plier of water," and was anxious to make 
appear the only culprit on the occasion, 
added, in conclusion, that his own being 
" a house of mourning," he had given up 
his intention of proceeding to Abyssinia, 
and had finally resolved to wash his hands 
of the business. 

He was gravely answered that the cara- 
van had started upon express orders given 
in consequence of a distinct understanding 
and pledge, purchased the preceding day 
of the sultan himself. He was reminded 
that every hire and remuneration for cam- 
els, guides, and escort, exorbitant though 
they were, had been paid in full at Tajura ; 



36 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



and was distinctly informed, that if the 
terms of the agreement were not fully 
complied with, ere the night fell, the pro- 
perty of the British government would be 
left on the ground, where it then lay, while 
the embassy proceeded to Dullool, off 
which place the " Constance " had already 
anchored, reshipped all the baggage that 
had been sent to the advance camp, and 
set sail for Aden. 

It was farther added, that as the conse- 
quences of this step would rest upon the 
head of those who had entered into an ex- 
press engagement, upon receipt of what- 
ever terms they had demanded as the price 
of their services, it should be borne in 
mind that further offensive and unprinci- 
pled demonstrations might terminate in un- 
pleasant results. 

As the interpreter proceeded to unfold 
this high-toned remonstrance, Izhak was 
seen to fidget uneasily upon his hams, 
while he sought to conceal his agitation 
by tracing figures on the sand ; and, as the 
last intimation fell upon his ear, seizing 
his sandal, he relieved his excited feelings 
by shovelling a pointed stick through the 
very centre of the leather. But the swag- 
gering air which he had assumed had now 
entirely disappeared, and, after a hurried 
whispering consultation with his confede- 
rates, he declared thai he had been toiling 
day and night in the service of the En- 
glish ; that he was perfectly ready to per- 
form everything required of him, and that, 
notwithstanding the recent calamity with 
which his family had been visited, and the 
dangerous illness of his mother, he would 
escort the embassy in person, with trust- 
worthy colleagues ; that he would be res- 
ponsible for all the property left at Amba- 
bo, and only petition for two days' grace 
to put his house in order before repairing 
to Dullool. This point being tardily ac- 
corded, he rose with Ali Shermarki, who 
had ridden in as mediator during the heat 
of the conference, and each offering his 
hand, in earnest of the matter being finally 
and amicably concluded in full accordance 
with the original stipulation of the cove- 
nant, set out on his return to Tajura. 



CHAPTER XII. 

DULLOOL. THE RAS UNPLEASANTLY RE- 
MINDED OF HIS PLEDGE. SAGALLO AND 

WARELISSAN. 

Izhak's absent camels, which had been 
kept close at hand pending the issue of 



this stormy debate, being now brought in 
the ground was speedily cleared of the re- 
maining baggage ; and satisfied with the 
specious assurance of the ras el kafilah, 
that he would on no account tarry beyond 
nightfall of the following day, the party, 
relieved from their anxiety, mounted after 
five o'clock, and galloped seven miles along 
the sea-beach to the camp at Dullool, — the 
loose sand being so perforated and under- 
mined in every part by the hermit crab, 
as to render the sieve-like road truly 
treacherous and unpleasant. 

The grassy nook occupied by the tent 
was situated at the abutment of a spur 
from the wooded Jebel Goodah, evidently 
of volcanic origin, which gradually dimin- 
ishes in height, until it terminates, one 
hundred yards from the shore, in a thick 
jungle of tamarisk and acacia., the former 
covered with salt crystals. Hornblende, 
in blocks, was scattered along the beach, 
and, wherever decomposed, it yielded fine 
glittering black sand, so heated under the 
noontide sun as to burn the naked foot. 
The movable camp of a horde of roving 
Bedouin shepherds, who, with very slender 
habitations, possess no fixed abode, was 
erected near the wells ; and a quarrel with 
the followers, respecting the precious ele- 
ment, having already led to the drawing of 
creeses, silver was again in requisition to 
allay the impending storm. 

The heat on the 2nd of June was almost 
insupportable ; but the sultry day proved 
one of greater quiet than had fallen to the 
lot of the embassy since its first landing. 
Late in the evening, when the cool sea- 
breeze had set in, Ali Shermarki rode into 
camp, and delivered a letter which had 
been slipped into his hand by the sultan, 
appealing against the hardship of being 
left without remuneration for his diiigent 
services, praying that his old heart might 
be made glad, and hoping that all might 
meet again ere death should call them — a 
wish responded to by no single individual 
of the British party. 

Neither Izhak nor any of his followers 
made their appearance, notwithstanding 
that the redemption of the solemn promise 
passed was anxiously watched until mid- 
night. At gun-fire the next morning, 
however, the arrival of the whole being 
reported, orders were issued to strike the 
tent, a measure which was doggedly op- 
posed by the ras el kafilah, whose brow 
again darkened as he declared his resolu- 
tion not to stir from Dullool until three of 
his camels, which were said to have stray- 
ed, should be recovered ; and deaf alike 
to remonstrance or entreaty, he finally 



THE LAST WELL. 



37 



withdrew to a distance, taking his seat in 
sullen mood beneath a tree. 

The schooner had meanwhile fished her 
anchor, and was now getting under weigh 
for the purpose of standing up within 
range of the next halting ground. The 
mules were harnessed to the gun, and the 
tent and baggage packed. Ali Shermarki 
was deputed to acquaint Izhak with these 
facts, and to intimate firmly, that unless 
the order to load were given without an- 
other moment's delay, minute guns would 
be fired as a signal to bring up the brig 
from Tajura, when the promise made yes- 
terday by the English would be found 
more binding than those of the Danakil 
had hitherto proved. This menace had 
the desired effect, and after three hours of 
needless detention, the party commenced 
its third hot march along the sea-beach, 
whence the hills gradually recede. Be- 
douin goat-herds occupied many wells of 
fresh water, which were denoted by 
clumps of date-trees entwined by flower- 
ing convolvuli, whose matted tendrils fix 
the movable sands of the shore ; and late 
in the forenoon the camp was formed at 
the pool of Sagallo, only three miles from 
the former ground, but affording the last 
supply of water to be obtained for thirty 
more. 

An extensive and beautiful prospect of 
the western portion of the Bay of Tajura 
had now opened, bound in on all sides by 
a zone of precipitous mountains, in which 
the gate leading into Goobut el Kharab 
was distinctly marked by a low black 
point, extending from the northern shore. 
The schooner's services were volunteered 
to admit of a nearer inspection of the 
" basin of foulness ;" but no sooner had 
she stood out to sea than signal-guns fired 
from the camp announced the arrival of 
another packet from Shoa. The courier 
had been forty-four days on the journey, 
and the tidings he brought respecting the 
road, although highly satisfactory, added 
yet another instance to the many, of the 
vsmall reliance that can be placed on in- 
formation derived from the Danakil, who, 
even when disinterested, can rarely indeed 
de induced to utter a word of truth. 

The strong party feeling entertained 
toward Mohammad Ali by the magnates 
of Taj lira, now vented itself in divers 
evil-minded and malicious hints, insinuating 
the defection of the absentee, who had 
been unavoidably detained by business, 
some hours after the last of the sea-port 
heroes had joined. *' Where, now, is your 
friend Ali Mohammad ?" " Where is the 
man who was to supply water on the 



road ?" were the taunting interrogatories 
from the mouths of many ; but come the 
son of Ali Abi did, to the confusion of his 
slanderers, long ere the sun had set, 
bringing secret intelligence that he had 
sent to engage an escort from his own 
tribe ; and the whole party being now at 
last assembled, it was resolved in full con- 
clave, that as not a drop of water could 
be procured for three stages in advance, 
the entire of the next day should be de- 
voted to filling up the skins ; which done, 
the caravan should resume its march by 
night — a manoeuvre that savored strong- 
ly of a design to favor the clandestine re- 
turn to Tajura of certain of the escort, 
who had still domestic affairs to settle. 

Thus far the conduct of the son of the 
Rookhba chief had formed a notable con- 
trast to the proceedings of his backbiters. 
While Izhak and his stubborn partisans 
had positively declined to move according 
to their agreement, unless a further most 
extravagant and unconscionable sum were 
paid in advance for their anticipated ser- 
vices, and had altogether assumed a bul- 
lying tone, coupled with a most imperti- 
nent and overbearing demeanor, this scion 
of a savage house that holds in its hands 
the avenues betwixt Shoa and Tajura, and 
could at pleasure cut off communication 
with the coast, had never applied for aught 
save a trifling sum for the present mainte- 
nance of his family ; and since the first 
eclaircissement) had, to the best of his 
ability, striven to render himself useful 
and agreeable to the party about to pass 
through his country. 

A most unprofitable discussion, which 
was prolonged until eleven the following 
night, had for its object to persuade the 
transmission of baggage in advance to the 
Salt Lake, in consequence of the carried 
supply of water being, after all, considered 
insufficient for three days' consumption. 
But the proposal was negatived upon pru- 
dent grounds, the honesty of the inten- 
tions by which it had been dictated, seem- 
ing, at best, extremely questionable, and 
no one feeling disposed to trust the faith- 
less guides further than they could be 
seen, with property of value. 

Scarcely were the weary eyes of the 
party closed in sleep, than the long 32- 
pounder of the u Constance," proclaiming 
the midnight hour, sounded to boot and 
saddle. The Babel-like clamor of loading 
was at length succeeded by a lull of 
voices, and the rumbling of the galloper 
wheels over the loose shingle, was alone 
heard in the still calm of the night, above 
the almost noiseless tread of the cushion- 



38 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



fooled camels, which formed an intermina- 
ble line. The road, lit by the full moon, 
shining brightly overhead, lay for the first 
two or three miles along the beach, and 
then, crossing numerous water-courses, 
struck over the southern shoulder of Jebel 
Goodah, the distance from whose lofty 
peak each march had reduced. 

Blocks and boulders varying in size 
from an 18 pound shot, to that of Ossa 
piled upon Pelion, aided by deep chasms, 
gullies, and waterways, rendering the as- 
cent one of equal toil and peril, cost the 
life of a camel, which fell over a precipice 
and dislocated the spine ; whereupon the 
conscientious proprietor, disdaining to take 
further heed of the load, abandoned it un- 
scrupulously by the wayside. Galeylafco, 
a singular and fearful chasm, which was 
navigated in the first twilight, did not ex- 
ceed sixty feet in width ; its gloomy, per- 
pendicular walls of columnar lava, tower- 
ing one hundred and fifty feet overhead, 
and casting a deep deceitful shadow over 
the broken channel, half a mile in extent. 
Deeni, in his customary strain of amplifi- 
cation, had represented this frightful pass 
to be entered through a trap-door, in order 
to clear which it was necessary for a load- 
ed camel to forget its staid demeanor, and 
bound from rock to rock like a mountain 
kid. The devil and all his angels were 
represented to hold midnight orgies in one 
of tha most dismal of the many dark re- 
cesses ; and the belief was fully confirm- 
ed by the whooping of a colony of baboons, 
disturbed by the wheels of the first piece 
of ordnance that had ever attempted the 
bumping passage. 

Dawn disclosed the artillery mules in 
such a wretched plight from their fatiguing 
night's labor, that it was found necessary 
to unlimber the gun, and place it with its 
carriage on the back of an Eesah camel 
of herculean strength, provided for the 
contingency by the foresight of Mohammad 
Ali ; and although little pleased during the 
imposition of its novel burthen, the animal, 
rising without difficulty, moved freely 
along at a stately gait. The same unin- 
teresting volcanic appearance character- 
ized the entire country to the table-land 
of Ware'issan, a distance of twelve miles. 
Dreary and desolate, without a trace of 
vegetation saving a few leafless acacias, 
there was no object to relieve the gaze 
over the whole forbidding expanse. In this 
barren, unsightly spot, the radiation was 
early felt from the masses of black cindry 
rock, which could not be touched with im- 
punity. The sand soil of the desert, re- 
flecting the powerful beams of the sun, 



lent a fearful intensity to the heat, while 
on every side the dust rose in clouds that, 
at one moment, veiled the caravan from 
sight, and at the next left heads of camels 
tossing in the inflamed atmosphere among 
the bright spear-blades of the escort. But 
on gaining the highest point, a redeeming 
prospect was afforded in an unexpected 
and most extensive bird's-eye view of the 
estuary of Tajtlra, now visible in all its 
shining glory, from this, its western boun- 
dary. Stretching away for miles in placid 
beauty, its figure was that of a gigantic 
hour-glass ; and far below, on its glassy 
bosom, were displayed the white sails of 
the friendly little schooner, as, after safely 
navigating the dangerous and much-dread- 
ed portals of Scylla and Charybdis, never 
previously braved by any craft larger than 
a jolly boat, bellying to the breeze, she 
beat gallantly up to the head of Goobut el 
Kharab. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

GLOOMY PASSAGE OF RAH EESAH, THE DE- 
SCENSUS AD INFEROS. 

Although Warelissan proved nearly 
seventeen hundred feet above the level of 
the blue water, a suffocating south-west- 
erly wind, which blew throughout the te- 
dious day, rendered the heat more awfully 
oppressive than at any preceding station. 
The camp, unsheltered, occupied a naked 
tract of table-land, some six miles in cir- 
cumference, on the shoulder of Jebel Goo- 
dah — its barren surface strewed with shi- 
ning lava, and bleached animal bones ; 
sickly acacias of most puny growth, spa- 
ringly invested with sunburnt leaves, here 
and there struggling through the fissures, 
as if to prove the utter sterility of the soil ; 
while total absence of water, and towering 
whirlwinds of dust, sand, and pebbles, 
raised by the furnace-like puffs that came 
stealing over the desert landscape, com- 
pleted the discomfiture both of man and 
beast. 

During the dead of night, when restless, 
unrefreshing slumbers on the heated 
ground had hushed the camp in all its 
quarters, the elders, in great consternation, 
brought a report that the Bedouin war- 
hawks, who nestle in the lap of the adja- 
cent wild mountains, were collecting in 
the neighborhood, with the design of ma- 
king a sudden swoop upon the kafilah, for 
which reason the European escort must 
be prepared for battle, and muskets be dis- 
charged forthwith, to intimidate the lurk- 



PASSAGE OF RAH EESAH. 



39 



ing foe. They were informed, in reply, 
that all slept upon their arms, and were in 
readiness. But Mohammad Ali came 
shortly afterward to announce, that mat- 
ters had been amicably adjusted, with the 
aid of a few ells of blue cloth ; and, under 
the care of a double sentry, the party slept 
on without further disturbance until two 
in the morning, prior to which hour the 
moon, now on her wane, had not attained 
sufficient altitude to render advance prac- 
ticable. 

The aid of her pale beams was indispen- 
sable, in consequence of the existence of 
the yawning pass of Rah Eesah, not one 
hundred yards distant from the encamp- 
ment just abandoned, but till now unper- 
ceived. It derives its appellation, as " the 
road of the Eesahs," from the fact of this 
being the path usually chosen by that hos- 
tile portion of the Somauli nation, on the 
occasions of their frequent forays into the 
country of the Danakil, with whom, singu- 
larly enough, an outward understanding 
subsists. Its depths have proved the arena 
of many a sanguinary contest, and are 
said, after each down-pouring of the heav- 
ens, to become totally impassable, until 
again cleared of the huge blocks of stone, 
the detritus from the scarped cliffs, which 
so choke the bed of the chasm, as to im- 
pede all progress. The labor of removing 
these, secures certain immunities to the 
wild pioneers, who levy a toll .upon every 
passing caravan, and who in this instance 
were propitiated, on application, by the di- 
vision of a bale of blue cotton calico, a 
manufacture here esteemed beyond all 
price. 

A deep zigzagged rent in the plateaux, 
produced originally by some grand con- 
vulsion of nature, and for ages the channel 
of escape to the sea of the gathered waters 
from Jebel Goodah, winds like a mytho- 
logical dragon through the bowels of the 
earth, upward of three miles to the south- 
ward. Masses of basalt of a dark burnt 
brown color, are piled perpendicularly on 
either side, like the solid walls of the im- 
pregnable fortresses reared by the Cyclops 
of old ; and rising from a very narrow 
channel, strewed with blocks of stone, and 
huge fallen fragments of rock, tower over- 
head to the height of five or six hundred 
feet. One perilous path affords barely suf- 
ficient width for a camel's tread, and with 
a descensus of one foot and a half in every 
three, leads twisting away into the gloomy 
depths below, dedicated to the son of Chaos 
and Darkness, and now plunged in total 
obscurity. 

It was a bright and cloudless night, and 



the scenery, as viewed by the uncertain 
moonlight, cast at intervals in the windings 
of the road upon the glittering spear-blades 
of the warriors, was wild and terrific. The 
frowning basaltic cliffs, not three hundred 
yards from summit to summit, flung au 
impenetrable gloom over the greater por- 
tion of the frightful chasm, until, as the 
moon rose higher in the clear vault of 
heaven, she shone full upon huge shadowy 
masses, and gradually revealed the now dry 
bed, which in the rainy season must often- 
times become a brief but impetuous torrent. 

No sound was heard save the voice of 
the camel-driver, coaxing his stumbling 
beasts to proceed by the most endearing 
expressions. In parts where the passage 
seemed completely choked, the stepping 
from stone to stone, accomplished with in- 
finite difficulty, was followed by a drop 
leap, which must have shaken every bone. 
The gun was twice shifted to the back of 
a spare camel, provided for the purpose ; 
and how the heavily laden, the fall of one 
of which would have obstructed the way 
to those that followed, kept their feet, is 
indeed subject of profound astonishment. 
All did come safely through, however, 
notwithstanding the appearance of sundry 
wild Bedouins, whose weapons and matted 
locks gleamed in the moonbeam, as their 
stealthy figures flitted in thin tracery from 
crag to crag. A dozen resolute spirits 
might have successfully opposed the united 
party : but these hornets of the mountains, 
offering no molestation, contented them- 
selves with reconnoitering the van and rear- 
guards from heights inaccessible through 
their natural asperity, until the twilight 
warned them to retire to their dens and 
hiding places ; and, ere the sun shone 
against the summits of the broken cliff-, 
the straggling caravan had emerged in 
safety from this dark descent to Eblis. 

Goobut el Kharab, with the singular 
sugar-loaf islet of Good Ali, shortly opened 
to view for the last time, across black 
sheets of lava, hardened in their course to 
the sea, and already rotten near the water's 
edge. Many years have not elapsed since 
the Eesah made their latest foray + o the 
north of the pass, which has since borne 
their name ; and sweeping off immense 
booty in cattle, halted on their return at 
Eyroladaba, above the head of the bay. 
Under cover of the pitchy darkness, five 
hundred Danakil warriors, passing silently 
through the gloomy defile, fell suddenly in 
the dead of night upon the marauders, 
when, in addition to the multitude slain by 
the spear and creese, numbers in the panic 
created by the surprise, leapt in their flight 



40 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



over the steep lava cliffs, and perished in 
the deep waters of the briny basin. 

The schooner, although riding safely at 
anchor near the western extremity, was 
altogether concealed by precipitous walls 
that towered above her raking masts, 
and kept the party in uncertainty of her 
arrival. Crossing the lone va.'ley of Mar- 
monso, a remnant of volcanic action, rent 
and seamed with gaping fissures, the road 
turned uver a large basaltic cone, which 
had brought fearful devastation upon the 
whole surrounding country, and here one 
solitary gazelle browsed on stubble-like 
vegetation scorched to a uniform brown. 
Skirting the base of a barren range, cov- 
ered with heaps of lava blocks, and its foot 
ornamented with many artificial piles, 
marking deeds of blood, the lofty conical 
peak of Jebel Seearo rose presently to 
sight, and not long afterward the far-famed 
Lake Assal, surrounded by dancing mirage, 
was seen sparkling at its base. 

The first glimpse of the strange phe- 
nomenon, although curious, was far from 
pleasing. An elliptical basin, seven miles 
in its transverse axis, half filled with smooth 
water of the deepest cerulean blue, and 
half with a solid sheet of glittering snow- | 
white salt, the offspring of evaporation— j 
girded on three sides by huge hot-looking j 
mountains, which dip their bases into the 
very bowl, and on the fourth by crude 
half-formed rocks of lava, broken and di- 
vided by the most unintelligible chasms, — 
it presented the appearance of a spoiled, 
or at least of a very unfinished piece of 
work. Bereft alike of vegetation and of 
animal life, the appearance of the wilder- 
ness of land and stagnant water, over 
which a gloomy silence prevailed, and 
which seemed a temple for ages consecra- 
ted to drought, desolation, and sterility, is 
calculated to depress the spirit of every 
beholder. No sound broke on the ear: 
not a ripple played upon the water; the 
molten surface of the lake, like burnished 
steel, lay unruffled by a breeze ; the fierce 
sky was without a cloud, and the angry 
sun, like a ball of metal at a white heat, 
rode triumphant in a full blaze of noontide 
refulgence, which in sickening glare was 
darted back on the straining vision of the 
tainting wayfarer, by the hot sulphury 
mountains that encircled the still, hollow, 
basin. A white foam on the shelving 
shore of the dense water, did contrive for 
a brief moment to deceive the eye with an 
appearance of motion and fluidity ; but the 
spot, on more attentive observation, ever 
remained unchanged — a crystallized efflo- 
rescence. 



As the tedious road wound on over ba- 
salt, basaltic lava, and amygdaloid, the sun, 
waxing momentarily more intensely pow- 
erful, was reflected with destructive and 
stifling fervor from slates of snow-white 
sea-limestone borne on their tops. Still 
elevated far above the level of the ocean, 
a number of fossil-shells, of species now 
extinct, were discovered ; a deep cleft by the 
wayside, presenting the unequivocal ap- 
pearance of the lower crater of a volcano, 
situated on the high basaltic range above, 
whence the lava stream had been disgorg- 
ed through apertures burst in the rocks, 
but which had re-closed after the violence 
of the eruption had subsided. 

Dafari, a wild broken chasm at some 
distance from the road, usually contains 
abundance of rain water in its rocky pool, 
but having already been long drained to 
the dregs, it offered no temptation to hah. 
Another most severe and trying declivity 
had therefore to be overcome, ere the long 
and sultry march was at an end. It de- 
scended by craggy precipices many hun- 
dred feet below the level of the sea, to the 
small, close, sandy plain of Mooya, on the 
borders of the lake — a positive Jehannairu, 
where the gallant captain of the " Con- 
stance"* had already 4 been some hours 
ensconced under the leafless branches of 
one poor scrubby thorn, which afforded the 
only screen against the stifling blast of the 
sirocco, and the merciless rays of the re- 
fulgent orb over-head. 

Adyli, a deep mysterious cavern at the 
farther extremity of the plain, is believed, 
by the credulous, to be the shaft leading to 
a subterranean gallery which extends to 
the head of Ghoobut el Kharab. Deeni, 
most expert and systematic of liars, even 
went so far as to assert that he had seen 
through it the waters of the bay, although 
he admitted it to be the abode of " gins and 
efreets," whose voices are heard through- 
out the night, and who carry off the un- 
wary traveller, to devour him without re- 
morse. The latest instance on record was 
of one Shehem, who was compelled by the 
weariness of his camel, to fall behind the. 
caravan, and, when sought by his comrades, 
was nowhere to be found, notwithstanding 
that his spear and shield had remained un- 
touched. No tidings of the missing man 
having been obtained to the present hour, 
he is believed by his disconsolate friends 
to have furnished a meal to the gins in 
Adyli ; but it seems not improbable that 
some better clue to his fate might be af- 
forded by the Adriisi, an outcast clan of 



* Lieutenant Wilmot Christopher, I. JN. 



INDOMITABLE THIRST. 



41 



the Debeni, acknowledging no chief, 
though recognizing in some respects the 
authority of the Sultan of Tajura, and who 
wander over the country for evil, from Sa- 
gallo to the Great Salt Lake. 

Foul-mouthed vampires and ghouls were 
alone wanting to complete the horrors of 
this accursed spot, which, from its deso- 
late position, might have been believed the 
last stage of the habitable world. A close 
mephitic stench, impeding respiration, 
arose from the saline exhalations of the 
stagnant lake. A frightful glare from the 
white salt and limestone hillocks threatened 
destruction to the vision ; and a sickening 
heaviness in the loaded atmosphere, was 
enhanced rather than alleviated by the 
fiery breath of the parching north-wester- 
ly wind, which blew without any intermis- 
sion during the entire day. The air was 
inflamed, the sky sparkled, and columns of 
burning sand, which at intervals towered 
high into the dazzling atmosphere, became 
so illumined as to appear like tall pillars of 
fire. Crowds of horses, mules, and fetid 
camels, tormented to madness by the dire 
persecutions of the poisonous gad-fly, flock- 
ed recklessly with an instinctive dread of 
the climate, to share the only bush ; and 
obstinately disputing with their heels the 
slender shelter it afforded, compelled seve- 
ral of the party to seek refuge in noisome 
caves formed along the foot of the range 
by fallen masses of volcanic rock, which 
had become heated to a temperature seven 
times in excess of a potter's kiln^and fair- 
ly baked up the marrow in the bones. 
Verily ! it was " an evil place," that lake 
of salt : it was " no place of seed, nor of 
figs, nor yet of vines ; no, nor even of 
pomegranates ; neither was there any wa- 
ter to drink." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FEARFUL SUFFERINGS IN THE PANDEMONIUM 
OF BAHR ASSAL. 

In this unventilated and diabolical hol- 
low, dreadful indeed were the sufferings 
in store both for man and beast. Not a 
drop of fresh water existed within many 
miles ; and, notwithstanding that every hu- 
man precaution had been taken to secure 
a supply, by means of skins carried upon 
camels, the very great extent of most im- 
practicable country to be traversed, which 
had unavoidably led to the detention of 
nearly all, added to the difficulty of re- 
straining a multitude maddened by the tor- 
tures of burning thirst, rendered the pro- 



4 



vision quite insufficient; and during the 
whole of this appalling day, with the mer- 
cury in the thermometer standing at 126° 
under the shade of cloaks and umbrellas — 
in a suffocating Pandemonium, depressed 
five hundred and seventy feet below the 
ocean, where no zephyr fanned the fevered 
skin, and where the glare arising from the 
sea of white salt was most painful to the 
eyes ; where the furnace-like vapor ex- 
haled, almost choking respiration, created 
an indomitable thirst, and not the smallest 
shade or shelter existed, save such as was 
afforded, in cruel mockery, by the stunted 
boughs of the solitary leafless acacia, or, 
worse still, by black blocks of heated lava, 
it was only practicable, during twelve te- 
dious hours, to supply to each of the par- 
ty two quarts of the most mephitic brick- 
dust-colored fluid, which the direst neces- 
sity could alone have forced down the 
parched throat, and which, after all, far 
from alleviating thirst, served materially to 
augment its insupportable horrors. 

It is true that since leaving the shores 
of India, the party had gradually been in 
training toward a disregard of dirty water — 
a circumstance of rather fortunate occur- 
rence. On board a ship of any descrip- 
tion the fluid is seldom very clean, or very 
plentiful. At Cape Aden there was little 
perceptible difference betwixt the sea wa- 
ter, and the land water. At Tajura the 
beverage obtainable was far from being 
improved in quality by the taint of the new 
skins in which it was transferred from the 
only well ; and now, in the very heart of 
the scorching Tehama, when a copious 
draught of aqua pura seemed absolutely 
indispensable every five minutes, to secure 
further existence upon earth, the detesta^- 
ble mixture that was at long intervals most 
parsimoniously produced, was the very 
acme of abomination. Fresh hides strip- 
ped from the rank he-goat, besmeared in- 
side as well as out with old tallow and 
strong bark tan, filled from an impure well 
at Sagallo, tossed, tumbled, and shaken 
during two entire nights on a camel's back, 
and brewed during the same number of in- 
tervening days under a strong distilling 
heat — poured out an amalgamation of pot- 
tage of which the individual ingredients of 
goat r s hair, rancid mutton fat, astringent 
bark, and putrid water, were not to be dis- 
tinguished. It might be smelt at the dis- 
tance of twenty yards, yet all, native and 
European, were struggling and quarrelling 
for a taste of the recipe. The crest-fallen 
mules, who had not moistened their crack- 
ed lips during two entire days, crowding 
around the bush, thrusting their hot nose^ 



42 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



into the faces of their masters, in reproach- 
ful intimation of their desire to participate 
in the filthy but tantalizing decoction ; and 
deterred with difficulty from draining the 
last dregs, they ran franticly with open 
mouths to seek mitigation of their suffer- 
ings at the deceptive waters of the briny 
lake, which, like those of Goobut el Kha- 
rab, were so intensely salt, as to create 
smarting of the lips if tasted. 

Slowly flapped the leaden wings of Time 
on that dismal day. Each weary hour 
brought a grievous accession, but no alle- 
viation, to the fearful torments endured. 
The stagnation of the atmosphere continued 
undiminished ; the pangs of thirst increased, 
but no water arrived ; and the sun's des- 
potic dominion on the meridian, appeared 
to know no termination. At four o'clock, 
when the heat was nothing abated, distress- 
ing intelligence was received that one of 
the seamen, who during the preceding night 
had accompanied the captain of the schoo- 
ner-of-war from Goobut el Kharab, and had 
unfortunately lost his way, could nowhere 
oe found — the gunner, with six men, hav- 
ing long painfully searched the country 
side for their lost messmate, but to no pur- 
pose. Abroo, the son of whom old Aboo 
Bekr was justly proud, and who was indeed 
the flower of his tribe, immediately volun- 
teered to go in quest of the missing sailor, 
and he subsequently returned with the 
cheering intelligence that his efforts had 
been crowned with success. Overwhelmed 
by heat and thirst, the poor fellow, unable 
to drag his exhausted limbs further, had 
crept lor shelter into a fissure of the heated 
lava, where he had soon sunk into a stale 
of insensibility. Water, and the use of a 
lancet, with which the young midshipman 
who heroically accompanied the exploring 
party had been provided, restored suspend- 
ed animation sufficiently to admit of his 
patient being conveyed on board the " Con- 
stance" alive ; but, alas ! he never reached 
Tajiira ; neither did one of the brave tars 
who sought their lost comrade under the 
fierce rays of the sun, nor indeed did any 
of the adventurous expedition, escape with- 
out feeling, in after severe illness, the un- 
wholesome influence upon the human con- 
stitution of that waste and howling wilder- 
ness. 

But the longest day must close at last, 
and the great luminary had at length run 
his fiery and tyrannical course. String af- 
ter string of loaded camels, wearied with 
the passage of the rugged defile of Rah 
Eesah, were with infinite difficulty urged 
down the last steep declivity, and at long 
intervals, as the shadows lengthened, made 



their tardy appearance upon the desert 
plain ; those carrying water, tents, and the 
greater portion of the provisions most re- 
quired, being nevertheless still in the rear 
when the implacable orb went down, shorn 
of his last fierce ray. The drooping spirits 
of all now rose with the prospect of speedy 
departure from so fearful a spot. The 
commander of the friendly schooner, which 
had proved of such inestimable service, but 
whose protecting guns were at length to 
be withdrawn, shortly set out on his return 
to the vessel with the last dispatches from 
the embassy, after bidding its members a 
final farewell •, and in order to obtain wa- 
ter, any further deprivation of which must 
have involved the dissolution of the whole 
party, no less than to escape from the pes- 
tilential exhalations of the desolate lake, 
which, as well during the night as during 
the day, yielded up a blast like that curling 
from a smith's forge — withering to the hu- 
man frame — it was resolved as an unavoid- 
able alternative, to leave the baggage to its 
fate, and to the tender mercies of guides 
and camel-drivers, pushing forward as ex- 
peditiously as possible to Goongoonteh, a 
cleft in the mountains that bound the oppo- 
site shore, wherein water was known to be 
abundant. Pursuant to this determination, 
the European escort, with the servants, fol- 
lowers, horses, and mules, were held in 
readiness to march so soon as the moon 
should rise above the gloomy lava hills, suf- 
ficiently to admit of the path being traced 
which leads beyond the accursed precincts 
Of a spot, fitly likened by the Danakil to 
the infernal regions. 

Dismal, deadly, and forbidding, but deep- 
ly interesting in a geological point of view, 
its overwhelming and paralyzing heat pre- 
cluded all possibility of minute examina- 
tion, and thus researches were of necessity 
confined to the general character of tho 
place. Latitude, longitude, and level were 
however accurately determined,* and many 
were the theories ventured, 1o account :or 
so unusual a phenomenon. Obviously the 
result of earthquake and volcanic eruption 
— a chaos vomited into existence by 

" Th' infuriate hill that shoots the pillar'd flame." 

Dame Nature must indeed have been in a 
most afflicting throe to have given birth to 
a progeny so monstrous ; and there being 
no locality to which the most vivid fancy 
could assign aught that ever bore the name 
of wealth or human population, little doubt 
can exist that the sea must have been re- 
pelled far from its former boundaries. The 
oviform figure of the bowl, hemmed in on 



* These will be found in the Appendix, No. I. 



DISMAL NIGHT MARCH. 



43 



three sides by volcanic mountains, and on 
the fourth by sheets of lava, would at the 
first glance indicate the site of an extensive 
crater, whose cone having fallen into a sub- 
terranean abyss, had given rise to the sin- 
gular appearance witnessed. But it is a 
far more probable hypothesis that the Bahr 
Assal, now a dead sea, formed at some very 
remote period a continuation of the Gulf of 
Tajura, and was separated from Goobut el 
Kharab by a stream of lava six miles in 
breadth, subsequently upheaved by subter- 
ranean action, and now forming a barrier, 
which from its point of greatest elevation, 
where the traces of many craters still ex- 
ist, gradually slopes eastward toward the 
deep waters of the bay, and westward into 
the basin of the Salt Lake. While no 
soundings are found in the estuary of Ta- 
jura, Goobut el Kharab gives one hundred 
and fifteen fathoms, or six hundred and 
ninety feet ; and premising the depression 
of the lake to have been formerly corres- 
pondent therewith, one hundred and twenty 
feet may be assumed as its present depth. 
To this it has been reduced by the great 
annual evaporation that must take place — 
an evaporation decreasing every year as the 
salt solution becomes more intensely con- 
centrated, and evinced by the saline incrus- 
tation on the surface no less than by a 
horizontal efflorescence, in strata, at a con- 
siderable height on the face of the circum- 
jacent rocks. 

In the lapse of years, should the present 
order of things continue undisturbed from 
below, the water will probably disappear 
altogether, leaving a field of rock salt, 
which, when covered in by the debris wash- 
ed down from the adjacent mountains, will 
form an extensive depot for the supply of 
Danakil generations yet unborn ; and the 
shocks of earthquakes being still occasion- 
ally felt in the neighborhood, it seems not 
improbable — to carry the speculation still 
further — that Goobut el Kharab, divided 
only by a narrow channel from the Bay of 
Tajura, will, under subterranean influence, 
be, in due process of time, converted into 
a salt lake, in no material respect dissimi- 
lar from the Bahr Assal — another worthy 
type of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, 



CHAPTER XV. 

DISMAL NIGHT-MARCH ALONG- THE INHOS- 
PITABLE SHORES OF THE GREAT SALT 
LAKE. 

Scarcely had the moon dipped her first 
flickering beam into the unruffled surface 
4* 



of the oval lake, and lighted the bluff cliffs 
for some hours previously shrouded in 
obscurity, than a loud war-cry from the 
adjacent heights echoed the assembly to 
arms, and the shrill blast of the Adai'el 
conch summoned all to the rescue. Aban- 
doning his occupation, each stalwart war- 
rior seized his spear and buckler, which 
had been laid aside while he aided in the 
task of reloading the camels for the ap- 
proaching night-march, and with respond- 
ent yells rushed fiercely toward the spot 
whence the alarm proceeded. The Eu- 
ropeans, springing from their broken slum- 
bers on the parched sands, stood to their 
arms. A long interval of silence and sus- 
pense succeeded, which was at last re- 
lieved by the return of Mohammad Ali, 
one of whose beasts had unfortunately 
slidden over a steep precipice, when the 
water-skins, bursting incontinently, had 
scattered the filthy but precious contents 
over the thirsty soil — an irreparable catas- 
trophe which had occasioned the call for 
assistance, believed by all to indicate a 
hostile gathering of the wild Bedouin clans. 
Of two roads which lead to Goon- 
goonteh from the shores of the dreary 
Bahr Assal, one skirts the margin of the 
lake by a route utterly destitute of fresh 
water ; while the other, although some- 
what more circuitous, conducts over high 
lava banks stretching some distance inland 
to Haliksitan, and past the small well of** 
Hanlefanta, where the drained pitcher of 
the fainting wayfarer may be refilled. On 
finally quitting the bivouac under the scrag- 
gy boughs of the dwarf acacia, where the 
tedious and most trying day had been en- 
dured — which each of the half-stifled party 
did with an inward prayer that it might 
never fall to his lot to seek their treache- 
rous shelter more — a fierce dispute arose 
among the leaders of the caravan as to 
which path should be adopted. " What 
matters it," urged the intolerant Moham- 
madan from Shoa, who had accidentally 
been found starving at Ambabo, and been 
since daily fed by the embassy — "what 
matters it if all these Christian dogs should 
happen to expire of thirst? Lead the 
Kafirs by the lower road, or, Allahu akbar, 
God is most powerful, if the waters of the 
well prove low, what is to become of the 
mules of the Faithful !" 

But the breast of the son of Ali Abi 
fortunately warmed to a more humane and 
charitable feeling than the stony heartof the 
" red man." With his hand upon the hilt 
of his creese, he swore upon the sacred 
Koran to take the upper path, and stoutly 
led the way, in defiance of all, after Izhak 



44 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



and the ruthless bigots in his train had ac- 
tually entered upon a route, which the 
event proved must have involved the de- 
struction of all less inured than the savage 
to the hardships of the waste wilderness. 

? T was midnight when the thirsty party 
commenced the steep ascent of the ridge 
of volcanic hills which frown above the 
south-eastern boundary of the fiery lake. 
The searching northeast wind had scarce- 
ly diminished in its parching fierceness, 
and in hot suffocating gusts swept fitfully 
over the broad glittering expanse of water 
and salt whereon the moon shone brightly 
—each deadly puff succeeded by the still- 
ness that foretells a tropical hurricane — 
an absolute absence even of the smallest 
ruffling of the close atmosphere. Around, 
the prospect was wild, gloomy, and un- 
earthly, beetling basaltic cones and jagged 
slabs of shattered larva — the children of 
some mighty trouble — forming scenery the 
most shadowy and extravagant. A chaos 
of ruined churches and cathedrals, eedgahs, 
towers, monuments, and minarets, like the 
ruins of a demolished world, appeared to 
have been confusedly tossed together by 
the same volcanic throes, that, when the 
earth was in labor, had produced the phe- 
nomenon below ; and they shot their di- 
lapidated spires into the molten vault of 
heaven, in a fantastic medley, which, under 
so uncertain a light, bewildered and per- 
plexed the heated brain. The path, wind- 
ing along the crest of the ridge, over 
sheets of broken lava, was rarely of more 
than sufficient width to admit of progress 
in single file; and the livelong hours, each 
seeming itself a century, were spent in 
scrambling up the face of steep rugged 
precipices, where the moon gleamed upon 
the bleaching skeleton of some camel that 
had proved unequal to the task — thence 
again to descend at the imminent peril of 
life and limb, into yawning chasms and 
dark abysses, the forbidding vestiges of 
bygone volcanic agency. 

The horrors of that dismal night set the 
efforts of description at defiance. An un- 
limited supply of water in prospect, at the 
distance of only sixteen miles, had for the 
brief moment buoyed up the drooping spi- 
rit, which tenanted each way-worn frame ; 
and when some exhausted mule was un- 
able to totter further, his rider contrived 
manfully to breast the steep hill on foot. 
But owing to the long fasting and priva- 
tion endured by all, the limbs of the weak- 
er soon refused the task, and after the first 
two miles, they dropped fast in the rear. 

Fanned by the fiery blast of the mid- 
night sirocco, the cry for water, uttered 



feebly and with difficulty by numbers of 
parched throats, now became incessant ; 
and the supply of that precious element 
brought for the whole party, falling short 
of one gallon and a half, it was not long 
to be answered. A tiny sip of diluted 
vinegar for a moment assuaging the burn- 
ing thirst which raged in the vitals, and 
consumed some of the more down-hearted, 
again raised their drooping souls ; but its 
effects were transient, and after struggling 
a few steps, overwhelmed, they sunk again, 
with husky voice declaring their days to 
be numbered, and their resolution to rise 
up no more. Dogs incontinently expired 
upon the road ; horses and mules that 
once lay down, being unable from ex- 
haustion to rally, were reluctantly aban- 
doned to their fate ; while the lion-hearted 
soldier, who had braved death at the can- 
non's mouth, subdued and unmanned by 
thirst, finally abandoning his resolution, 
lay gasping by the wayside, and heedless 
of the exhortation of his officers, hailed 
approaching dissolution with delight, as 
bringing the termination of tortures which 
were not to be endured. 

While many of the escort and follow- 
ers were thus unavoidably left stretched 
with open mouths along the road, in a state 
of utter insensibility, and apparently yield- 
ing up the ghost, others, pressing on to 
arrive at water, became bewildered in the 
intricate mazes of the wide wilderness, 
and recovered it with the utmost difficul- 
ty. As another day dawned, and the 
round red sun again rose in wrath over 
the Lake of Salt, toward the hateful 
shores of which the tortuous path wes 
fast tending, the courage of all who had 
hitherto borne up against fatigue and anx- 
iety began to flag. A dimness came be- 
fore the drowsy eyes, giddiness seized the 
brain, and the prospect ever held out by 
the guides, of quenching thirst immediate- 
ly in advance, seeming like the tantalizing 
delusions of a dream, had well nigh lost 
its magical effect ; when, as the spirits of 
the most sanguine fainted within them, a 
wild Bedouin was perceived, like a deliver- 
ing angel from above, hurrying forward 
with a large skin filled with muddy water. 
This most well-timed supply, obtained by 
Mohammad Ali from the small pool at 
Hanlefanta, of which, with the promised 
guard of his own tribe, by whom he had 
been met, he had taken forcible possession 
in defiance of the impotent threats of the 
ruthless " red man," was sent to the rear. 
It admitted of a sufficient quantity being 
poured over the face and down the parch- 
ed throat, to revive every prostrate and 



FIELD OF SALT— A BROOK. 



45 



perishing sufferer ; and at a late hour, 
ghastly, haggard, and exhausted, like men 
who had escaped from the jaws of death, 
the whole had contrived to straggle in'o a 
camp, which, but for the foresight and 
firmness of the son of Ali Abi, few indi- 
viduals indeed of the whole party would 
have reached alive. 

A low range of limestone hillocks, in- 
terspersed with strange masses of coral, 
and marked by a pillar like that of Lot, 
incloses the well of Hanlefanta, where 
each mule obtained a shield full of water. 
From the glittering shores of the broad 
lake, the road crosses the saline incrusta- 
tion, which extends about two miles to the 
opposite brink. Soiled and mossy near 
the margin, the dull crystallized salt ap- 
pears to rest upon an earthy bottom ; but 
it soon becomes lustrous and of a purer 
color, and floa*ing on the surface of the 
dense water, like a rough coarse sheet of 
ice, irregularly cracked, is crusted with a 
white yielding efflorescence, resembling 
snow which has been thawed and re frozen, 
but still, as here, with a crisp sound, re- 
ceives the impress of the foot. A well 
trodden path extends through the prismat- 
ic colors of the rainbow, by the longitudi- 
nal axis of the ellipse, to the northeastern 
extremity of the gigantic bowl, whence 
the purest salt is obtainable in the vicinity 
of several cold springs, said to cast up 
large pebbles on their jet, through the ethe- 
real blue water. 

At some distance from the beach was a 
caravan of Bedouin salt-diggers, busily 
loading their camels for the mnrkets of 
Aussi and Abyssinia, where it forms an 
article of extensive traffic and barter. Two 
other basins of a similar stamp, but inferi- 
or extent, which exist at no great distance 
to the northward, are styled " Ullool" and 
" Dus." The first of these producing salt 
of most exquisite lustre, is preferred by 
the Muda'ito tribes, from whose capital 
Aussa, it is not more remote than Doha, 
as they term the Bahr Assal, the right to 
frequent which is asserted as an exclusive 
privilege by the Danakil, who for centu- 
ries have actually held the monopoly un- 
disputed. Transferred in bulk in long- 
narrow mat bags, wrought of the date- 
leaf, it is exchanged for slaves and grain, 
and not only forms, as in other climes, one 
of the chief necessaries of life, but pos- 
sesses a specific value for the rock salt 
of the north, which, cut into rectangular 
blocks, passes as a circulating medium. 

A second low belt of hills, gypsum and 
anhydrite, succeeded by limestone over- 
strewed with basaltic boulders, forms the 



western bank of the molten sea, and 
opens into a mountain ravine. Taking its 
source at Allooli, the highest point of the 
Gollo range, this torrent strives to disem- 
bogue into the extremity of the lake, al- 
though its waters seldom arrive so far, 
save during the rainy season. The high 
basaltic cliffs that hem in the pebbly chan- 
nel, approximating in the upper course as 
they increase rapidly in altitude, form a 
I narrow waist, where the first running 
I stream that had greeted the eye of the 
'pilgrims since leaving the shores of Asia, 
trickled onward, leaving bright limpid 
! pools, surrounded by brilliant sward. 

Bowers, forever green, enlivened by the 
melodious w r arbling of the feathered crea- 
tion, and the serene and temperate air of 
the verdant meadows of Elysium, were 
absent from this blessed spot, but it was 
entered with feelings allied for the mo- 
ment to escape from the horrors of purga- 
gatory to the gates of paradise ; and un- 
der the shade cast by the overhanging 
cliffs, which still warded off the ardent 
rays of the ascending sun, it was with 
thankful hearts that the exhausted party, 
after the terrors of such a night, turned 
their backs upon the deadly waters of the 
stagnant lake, to quaff at the delicious 
rivulet of Goongoonteh an unlimited quan- 
tity of cool though brackish fluid. 

Here terminated the dreary passage of 
the dire Tehama — an iron-bound waste, 
which, at this inauspicious season of the 
year, opposes difficulties almost overwhelm- 
ing in the path of the traveller. Setting 
aside the total absence of water and forage 
throughout a burning tract of fifty miles — 
its manifold intricate mountain passes, 
barely wide enough to admit the transit 
of a loaded camel, the bitter animosity of 
the wild bloodthirsty tribes by which they 
are infested, and the uniform badness of 
the road, if road it may be termed, every- 
where beset with the huge jagged blocks 
of lava, and intersected by perilous acclivi- 
ties and descents — it is no exaggeration to 
state, that the stifling sirocco which sweeps 
across the unwholesome salt flat during 
the hotter months of the year, could not 
fail, within eight and forty hours, to destroy 
the hardiest European adventurer. Some 
idea of the temperature of this terrible re- 
gion, may be derived from the fact of fifty 
pounds of well-packed spermaceti candles 
having, during the short journey from Ta- 
jura, been so completely melted out of the 
box as to be reduced to a mere bundle of 
wicks. Even the Danakil, who from early 
boyhood have been accustomed to traverse 
the burning lava of the Tehama, never 



46 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



speak of it but in conjunction with the 
devouring element, of whose properties it 
partakes so liberally ; and when alluding 
to the Lake of Salt, invariably designate 
it " Fire." 



CHAPTER XVI. 

AFFLICTING CATASTROPHE AT GOONGOONTEH. 

Goongoonteh, a deep, gloomy, zig- 
zagged fissure, of very straitened dimen- 
sions, is hemmed in by craggy lava and 
basaltic walls, intersected by dikes of por- 
phyry, augitic greenstone and pistacite, 
with decomposed sulphate of iron, all com- 
bining to impart a strangely variegated ap- 
pearance. Scattered and inclined in vari- 
ous directions, although towering almost 
perpendicularly, they terminate abruptly 
in a rude pile of rocks and hills, through a 
narrow aperture in which, the path to the 
next halting-ground at Allooli, where the 
torrent takes its source, strikes off at an 
angle of 90°. 

Huge prostrate blocks of porphyry and 
basalt, which have been launched lrom the 
impending scarps, and now reduce the 
channel to this narrow passage, are in 
places so heaped and jammed together by 
some mighty agency, as to form spacious 
and commodious caverns. In the rainy 
season especially, these doubtless prove 
of wonderful convenience to the wayfarer ; 
and no tent arriving until late the following 
day, the reassembled party were fain to 
have recourse to them for shelter against 
the fierce hot blast from the Salt Lake, 
which, unremitting in its dire persecutions, 
now blew directly up the ravine. But the 
rocks soon became too hot to be touched 
with impunity; and the oblique rays of the 
sun, after he had passed the meridian, dart- 
ing through every aperture, the caves were 
shortly converted into positive ovens, in 
which the heat, if possible, was even more 
intolerable than ever. Unlike former sta- 
tions, however, there was, in this close 
unventilated chasm, a luxurious supply of 
water to be obtained from the living rill 
which murmured past the entrance ; and, 
although raised to the temperature of a 
thermal spring by the direct influence of 
the solar rays, and withal somewhat 
brackish to the taste, it was far from being 
pronounced unpalatable. 

Notwithstanding that the neighborhood 
afforded neither the smallest particle of 
forage nor of fuel, it became necessary, in 
consequence of the non-arrival of one half 
of the camels, no less than from the ex- 



haustion of many of the party, to halt a 
day in the hot, unhealthy gully ; and this 
afforded to the treacherous creese of the 
lurking Bedouin an opportunity of accom- 
plishing that which had only been threat- 
ened by drought and famine. The guides 
objecting strongly to the occupation of the 
caves after nightfall, on account of the 
many marauding parties of Eesah and 
Mudaito, by whom the wady is infested, 
every one, as a measure of precaution, 
slept in the open air among the baggage, 
half a mile lower down the ravine, where 
the caravan had halted. The dry, sandy 
bed of the stream was here narrow, and 
the cliffs, broken, for a short distance on 
either side, into hillocks of large, distinct 
boulders, again resumed their consistency 
after an interval of one hundred yards, and 
inclosed the camp in a deep gloom. 

The straitened figure of the bivouac 
rendered it impossible to make arrange- 
ments with much regularity in view to 
defence.. The horses were pickeited in 
the centre of th-j ravine. The European 
escort occupied a position betwixt them 
and the northern side, and the scanty beds 
of the officers of the party were spread 
close to the southern bank. A strong 
picket of the Danakil was placed a little 
distance in advance ; and, in addition to 
the numerous other native guards in vari- 
ous quarters, the usual precaution was 
observed of mounting a European sentry, 
whose beat extended the length of the front 
of the encampment. Old Izhak slept close 
to the beds of the embassy, and, ev.dently 
in a state of great trepidation, solaced him- 
self until a late hour by recounting bloody 
tales of murder and assassination, perpe- 
trated, within his knowledge, by the moun- 
tain Buddoos haunting the ravine of Goon- 
goonteh, which, being the high road to the 
Salt Lake, forms the resort of numerous 
evil-disposed ruffians, who are ever on the 
prowl to cut throats, and to do mischief. 

The first night, although awfully oppres- 
sive from the heat exhaled from the baked 
ground, and the absence of even the small- 
est zephyr, passed quietly enough ; and 
after another grilling day, which seemed 
to have no termination, spent within the 
caverns, the same nocturnal arrangement 
as before was observed with undiminished 
precaution. An hour before midnight, a 
sudden and violent sirocco scoured the 
wady ; the shower of dust and pebbles 
raised by its hot blast, being followed by a 
few heavy drops of rain, still as the sleep 
of death. The moon rose shortly after- 
ward ; and about two o'clock a wild Irish 
yell, which startled the whole party from 



MIDNIGHT ALARM— MURDER. 



47 



their fitful slumbers, was followed by a 
rush of men, and a clatter of hoofs toward 
the beds of the embassy. Every man 
sprang instinctively on his feet, seized a 
gun, of which two or three lay loaded be- 
side each, and, standing on his pillow with 
weapon cocked, prepared for the reception 
of the unseen assailants. Fortunate was 
it that no luckless savage, whether friend 
or foe, followed in the disorderly retreat, 
or consequences the most appalling must 
inevitably have ensued ; but the white legs 
of half-naked and unarmed artillerymen 
having passed at speed, were followed only 
by a crush of horses and mules that had 
burst from their pickets. So complete 
was the panic caused by a sudden start 
from deep sleep to witness the realization 
of the murderous tales of midnight assas- 
sination which had been poured into their 
ears, that the flying soldiery, who in the 
battle-field had seen comrades fall thick 
around them, and witnessed death in a 
thousand terrific forms, were rallied with 
difficulty. But a panic is of short dura- 
tion, if officers perform their duty ; and the- 
word " Halt !" acted like magic upon the 
bewildered senses of the survivors, who, 
falling in, formed line behind the rifles. 

Hurrying to the spot which they had 
occupied, a melancholy and distressing 
sight presented itself. A sergeant and a 
corporal lay weltering in the blood with 
which their scanty beds were deeply 
stained, and both were in the last agonies 
of death. One had been struck with a 
creese in the carotid artery immediately 
below the ear, and the other stabbed 
through the heart ; while, speechless be- 
side their mangled bodies, was stretched a 
Portuguese follower, with a frightful gash 
across the abdomen, whence the intestines 
were protruding. Aroused in all proba- 
bility during this act of cold-blooded mur- 
der, and attempting to give the alarm, he 
had received a fatal slash as the dastards 
retreated ; but almost instantaneous death 
had followed each previous blow of the 
creese, which, while the back of the sen- 
tinel was turned, had been dealt with mor- 
tal and unerring precision. 

Two human figures being perceived at 
the moment the alarm was first raised, 
crossing the iower gorge of the ravine, 
and absconding toward the hills which 
bounded the further extremity of the 
camp, were promptly pursued by Moham- 
mad Ali and his band of followers, who 
had seized spear and shield with the ut- 
most alacrity; but although the moon 
shone bright, and the stars twinkled in the 
firmament, the broken and stony nature 



of the ground, facilitated the escape of the 
miscreants under the deep shadow cast by 
the overhanging mountains, where objects 
could not be distinguished. 

This afflicting catastrophe gave birth, in 
the breast of all, to a by no means unnat- 
ural feeling of distrust toward the escort 
engaged on the sea-coast, not only as to 
their ability, but also as to their intention 
to afford protection. The European party 
had lain down in full and entire confidence, 
only to be aroused by the perpetration of 
this most diabolical and fiendish deed ; and 
although those who had been so fortunate 
as to escape, might, now that they had be- 
come aware of the existing peril, defend 
their own lives, yet such an alternative, 
involving the abandonment of all the gov- 
ernment property in charge, was far from 
being enviable. Upon after investigation, 
however, it appeared probable, as well 
from the evil character borne by the 
gloomy ravine, as from the numberless 
murders known to be annually committed 
under similar circumstances of wanton 
atrocity, among the native kafilahs en route^ 
that a party of the Eesah Somauli, in- 
habitants of the opposite coast of Goobut 
el Kharab, but who, to gratify an insatiate 
thirst for human blood, are in the habit of 
making frequent incursions into the coun- 
tray of the Danakil, had seized the oppor- 
tunity afforded by the absence of the 
sentry, at the farther extremity of his 
beat, to steal unperceived down the inum- 
brated bank of the hollow T , and perpetrate 
the dasjtardly and cold-blooded outrage. 

No attempt to plunder appeared as an 
excuse for the satanic crime, and the 
only object doubtless was the acquisition 
of that barbarous estimation and distinction 
which is only to be arrived at through 
deeds of assassination and blood. For 
every victim, sleeping or waking, that falls 
under the murderous knife of one of these 
fiends in human form, he is entitled to dis- 
play a white ostrich plume in the woolly 
hair, to wear on the arm an additional 
bracelet of copper, and to adorn the hilt of 
his reeking creese with yet another stud 
of silver or pewter — his reputation for 
prowess and for bravery rising among his 
clansmen in proportion to the atrocity of 
the attendant circumstances. At per- 
petual strife with the Danakil, although 
the chiefs of the tribes are on outward 
terms of friendship, and even of alliance, 
no opportunity is lost of retaliating upon 
the mountain Bedouin — every fresh hos- 
tility creating a new blood feud, and each 
life taken on either side, being revenged 
two-fold, ad infinitum. 



48 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Ere the day dawned, the mangled bodies 
of the dead, now stiff and stark, were con- 
signed by their sorrowing comrades to rude 
but compact receptacles of boulder stones 
— untimely tombs constructed by the na- 
tive escort, who had voluntarily addressed 
themselves to the task. And a short 
prayer, suited to the melancholy occasion, 
having been repeated as the mortal remains 
of each gallant fellow, enveloped in a 
blood-stained winding-sheet, were lowered 
to their wild resting-place, three volleys 
of musketry, paying the soldier's last tri- 
bute, rang among the dark recesses of the 
ravine, when the hurried obsequies were 
concluded by scaling the entrance to the 
cemeteries, in which, however, it is not 
probable that the dastardly sons of Satan 
— still doubtless watching with savage 
satisfaction from some inaccessible cranny 
— long suffered their victims to sleep. 

In the grave-like calm of the night, 
under the pale light of the wan moon, 
which only partially illumined the funereal 
crags that hemmed in the dreary chasm, 
and rose in gloomy sadness over the vaults 
of the departed, the scene was mournful 
and impressive. Mohammad Ali, Izhak, 
and Hajji Kasim, with all their retainers, 
appeared deeply touched by the fatal oc- 
currences that had so thinned the ranks of 
a party for whose lives they had made 
themselves responsible ; but they referred 
the event to fate, and to the Almighty fiat, 
adding that, although they were unable to 
restore the dead to life, or undo that which 
by the will of Heaven had been done, their 
own eyes should never close in t-sep so 
long as danger was to be apprehended 
from the dreaded Eesah, whose only honor 
and wealth consists in the number of foul 
butcheries with which their consciences 
are stained, and whom even savages con- 
cur in representing as sanguinary and 
ferocious monsters, " fearing neither God 
nor devil." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE STRICKEN FOLLOWER DIES. CAIRNS 
OF THE MURDERED. ALLOOLI AND BEDI 
KURROOF. 

It had been intended to march at break 
of day to Allooli, the source of Wady Goon- 
goonteh; but the absence of several of the 
camels, which had gone astray during the 
nocturnal confusion, caused delay in this 
den of iniquity until ten o'clock. The 
altered deportment of the chiefs meanwhile 
tended materially to banish from the mind 



suspicion of treachery. Heretofore, witk 
the single exception of Mohammad Ali, all 
had been cold, unfriendly, or insulting ; 
but from the moment of the late catastro- 
phe, their manner was visibly changed, and 
the anxiety evinced for the safety of the 
survivors under their charge was unre- 
mitting. They formed a circle round the 
party whensoever seated, and not a single 
white face was for a moment suffered to 
wander beyond their sight unattended by a 
clump of spears. 

The wound of the unfortunate Portu- 
guese had been pronounced mortal, and 
his dissolution was hourly expected ; but 
life still glimmering in the socket, he 
lingered on with fearful groans, although 
speechless, and too nearly insensible to be 
aware of what had passed". Placed upon a 
litter, arranged as comfortably as circum- 
stances would permit, the attempt was 
made to convey him to the next ground, 
but the rough motion of the camel doubt- 
less hastened the termination of his suffer- 
ings ; and the wretched man breathing his 
last ere he had journeyed many miles from 
the scene of his misfortunes, was interred 
under a date- tree by the road-side, in a 
grave ready prepared for his reception. 

The last rains having washed away an 
artificial bank of stones, which had for- 
merly facilitated the ascent of the difficult 
and dangerous passage leading from Goon- 
goonteh into the Wady Kelloo — as the up- 
per course is denominated — a delay of two 
hours was at first starting experienced in 
the bed of the torrent, during which all 
were on the alert. Two huge pointed 
rocks, abutting on opposite angles of the 
acute zig-zag, reduced it to a traversed 
waist, so narrow, that room for the load to 
pass was only afforded, when the long-leg- 
ged dromedary swung its unwieldly car- 
cass alternately from side to side — the 
steepness of the acclivity, rendering it 
very frequently necessary to perform this 
inconvenient evolution upon the knees. 
Many became jammed, and were unladen 
before they could regain an erect position : 
while others were, with infinite difficulty, 
by the united efforts of a dozen drivers, 
who manned the legs and tail, saved from 
being launched with their burthens over 
the steep side of the descent, which con- 
sisted of a treacherous pile of loose rub- 
bish. 

To the surprise of every spectator, the 
train passed through the defile without any 
material accident ; and thence proceeded 
to pick their steps among the rocks, pools, 
and fissures, which abound in every moan- 
tain torrent, whose course is short and pre- 



THE CAMP FORTIFIED. 



49 



eipitous. Flanked by perpendicular sheets 
of basalt and porphyry, of unwholesome 
oulphury appearance, beneath which many 
deep pools of cool water had collected, the 
tortuous road was at intervals enlivened 
by clumps of the doom palm, environed by 
patches of refreshing green turf — sights 
from which the eye had long been estrang- 
ed. Nine miles of gradual ascent, brought 
the caravan safely to the encamping ground 
at the head of the stream — a swamp, sur- 
rounded by waving palms and verdant 
rushes, occupying high table-land, and af- 
fording abundance of green forage to the 
famished cattle. Most fortunately the sky 
had proved cloudy, or the march, performed 
during the hottest hours of the day, would 
indeed have been terrific. 

Hence to Sagallo, the dismal country is 
in the exclusive occupation of a wandering 
race of the Danakil, who, notwithstanding 
that the Sultan of Tajilra claims the sove- 
reignty of the entire waste, only acknow- 
ledge his impotent authority, during their 
occasional sojourn among the huts of that 
sea-port. The guides asserted, with many 
imprecations, that from time immemorial, 
few kafilahs had ever halted at Allooli, 
without losing one or more of its mem- 
bers by the Adrusi creeses, or by those of 
the Eesah ; and on the bank opposite to the 
shady clump of doom palms, under whose 
canopy the residue of the day was passed, 
numerous cairns, consisting of circular 
piles of stone, similar to those left at Goon- 
goonteh to commemorate the outrage of the 
preceding night, stood memorials of the 
dark deeds that had been perpetrated. 

During about three years, the road from 
Abyssinia to the sea-coast, was completely 
closed by hordes of these ruffian outcasts, 
who continued their murderous depreda- 
tions on every passer-by, until Lohei'ta, the 
akil of the Debeni, a young, daring, and 
warlike chieftain, succeeding to the rule 
on the demise of his father, routed the 
banditti after a severe struggle, and re- 
opened the route. The Wady-Kelloo is, 
however, still permanently infested by par- 
ties of wild Bedouins, who skulk about the 
rocky passes : lie in wait for stragglers 
from the caravan : assassinate all who fall 
into their ruthless clutches: and, when 
time permits, further gratify their savage 
propensities, by mangling and mutilating 
the corse. 

" See how the cowardly scoundrels 
marked me," exclaimed the fiery old war- 
rior Ibrahim Shehem Abli, drawing aside 
his checked kilt, and displaying sundry 
frightful seams, which had doubtless been 
the work of a sharp knife. " Behold these 



tokens of Eesah steel upon my thigh ; I 
received them in this wild wady ; but, by 
Allah, I had a life for every one of them. 
We have a blood feud now ; and it be- 
hoves all who are not weary of the world, 
to look well to their own throats." 

Lurking bandits excepted, who prowl 
about like the midnight wolf, the Axlaiel 
tribes, although sufficiently barbarous and 
quarrelsome by nature, are fortunately in 
a great measure restrained from deeds of 
ferocity, by the certain consequences of 
spilling blood. None are anxious to in- 
volve their family or tribe in a mortal feud, 
nor would any warrior, incurring the al- 
most inevitable consequences of a twofold 
retribution, find support from his clansmen, 
unless sufficient cause could be shown ; 
and thus, even in the most lawless states 
of society, are checks imposed by absolute 
necessity, which prove almost as powerful 
as the more civilized legal restraint, upon 
the human passions. 

Although Allooli was represented to be 
even more perilous than Goongoonteh, it 
possessed, in point of locality, immense 
superiority ; and every advantage that 
could be devised, was taken of its capabil- 
ities for defence. The baggage formed in 
a compact circle on an open, naked plain, 
was surrounded by a line of camels, and 
the mules and horses were placed in the 
centre next to the beds of the party. 
Guards and sentinels patrolled under an 
officer of the watch; and at the solicitation 
of the ras el kafilah, who was exceedingly 
anxious to avoid the inconvenient conse- 
quences of a blood feud, a musket was dis- 
charged every hour at the relief of sentries, 
in order to intimate to the evil-minded that 
all within the breastwork were not asleep. 

Notwithstanding the presence, in the 
immediate neighborhood, for several days 
previously, of a large band of Eesah, the 
hot night passed without any alarm. The 
non-arrival, until long after daybreak, of 
the camels lost at Goongoonteh, added to 
the length of the next march, obliging the 
abandonment of the intention entertained, 
to speed beyond the pale of this site of 
assassination, the party halted on the lOth- 
Allooli stands two hundred and twenty- 
eight feet above the sea, and although in- 
tensely hot, and its waters saline, it proved 
a paradise when compared with every pre- 
ceding station. Here animal life was once 
more abundant. A horde of pastoral sava- 
ges, who from time to time appeared on 
the adjacent heights, were made acquaint- 
ed with the effect of rifle bullets, by the 
slaughter from the tent door of sundry- 
gazels that visited the swamp; and the- 



50 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



venison, afforded a most seasonable acces- 
sion to the empty larder, which was further 
replenished from the trees overhead, whose 
fan-like leaves gave shelter to a beautiful 
variety of the wood pigeon. 

Shortly after midnight the march was 
resumed by the moon's light over a suc- 
cession of small barren terraces, confined 
by conical and rounded hills. In the lone 
valley of Henraddee Dowar, which opens 
into the wide level plain of Gurgiiddee, 
there stood by the wayside a vast pile of 
loose stones, half concealed among the tall 
jaundice-looking flowers of the senna plant. 
Toward this spot ensued a general race on 
the part of escort and camel-drivers, who 
each added a pebble while repeating the 
Arabic auguration, Nauzu billdhi mhia 
Shaytani r rajim" — Let us flee for refuge 
to God from Satan the stoned." A tragic 
legend was attached to the cairn, which, 
from the dimensions attained, must have 
dated from a remote epoch. A hoary old 
man, accused in days long gone of inces- 
tuous intercourse with his own daughter. 
was arraigned before a tribunal of his as- 
sembled tribe, and, being fully convicted, 
was on this spot stoned to death, together 
with his fair partner in guilt. Throughout 
Syria and Palestine it is to this day the 
practice of all who pass the mounds raised 
over those who die in crime, and whose 
memory it is intended to dishonor, thus to 
contribute a stone, as well with a view to 
perpetuate the monument, as to shield 
themselves from evil by manifesting the 
detestation entertained of the infamy com- 
memorated. 

Gurgiiddee, eight miles in length, and 
Stretching on either hand to the far hori- 
"zon, is bounded by steep mountain ranges, 
whence an alluvial deposit washed down 
by the rains, presented over the whole of 
the level plain a surface of cracked and 
hardened mud, like that of a recently-dried 
morass. From the southern side, where 
the clayey tract is thickly clothed with 
stunted tamarisk and spartium, a road 
strikes up the valley in a north-westerly 
direction to the Mudaito town of Aussa, 
distant some three days' journey for a car- 
avan. As the day dawned, the steeple 
necks of a troop of ostriches were perceiv- 
ed nodding in the landscape, as the gigan- 
tic birds kicked the dust behind their heavy 
heels ; and a herd of graceful gazels were 
seen scouring toward a belt of stony hil- 
locks which skirted the dry pebbly bed of 
a river, that expends its waters on the sun- 
dried plain. Ascending this stream, in 
which were a few stagnant pools of bitter 
unpalatable water, a human figure was de- 



tected skulking behind some thick green 
tamarisks by which they were overshad- 
owed. But on being perseveringly hunt- 
ed down by Mohammad Ali and his wild 
myrmidons, the prisoner proved to be a 
Debeni in quest of truant camels — his 
attempt at concealment having, according 
to his own account, arisen from the ap- 
pearance of so many mounted cavaliers, 
whom he had mistaken for a foraging party 
of the Eesah, and was naturally desirous 
of eluding. 

The caravan halted early at Bedi Kur- 
roof, after a march of sixteen miles, and 
the camp was formed on a stony eminence 
of basalt and lava, affording neither tree 
nor shade. A day of fierce heat succeeded. 
There was no forage for the cattle ; the 
water was of the most brackish descrip- 
tion ; and the spot being of old infested by 
Bedouins, the party passed a restless and 
watchful night. 

A legend of blood, too, was attached to 
this wild bivouac, as to most others on the 
road, and thus it was related. One of the 
young men of a Danakil caravan returning 
from Abyssinia, fatigued by the hot jour- 
ney, lay down to rest his weary limbs be- 
neath the shadow of a rock, near which 
the tent of the embassy now stood. It was 
yet broad daylight, but a band of lurking 
Eesah presently pounced upon the way- 
farer, like the eagle on its prey, and, ere 
he could resume his weapons, had stabbed 
him to the heart. The dying groans of 
the murdered man being heard by his com- 
rades, a number of warriors started in hot 
pursuit of the flying assassins, and after a 
severe chase, succeeded in capturing the 
whole gang. Two were immediately spear- 
ed to death upon the principle of two drops 
of blood for one ; and the remaining mis- 
creants, four in number, having been strip- 
ped of their clothes and arms, were kicked 
forth out of the place. 

" The Eesah of these hills," continued 
the narrator of this tale, as, by the light 
of the blazing watch-fire, he fashioned a 
rude wooden bolster for the preservation 
of his greasy peruke during approaching 
slumbers, " are perfect Shaytans. Outcasts 
from their tribe, bands of ten or more here 
wander up and down like wild beasts, cut- 
ting the throats of all they meet, whether 
infidels or true believers — not for the sake 
of gain or plunder, but purely to gratify an 
innate propensity to murder. The mon- 
sters train for these blood forays upon raw 
flesh and marrow, and, well anointed with 
sheep's-tail fat, can travel day and night, 
during the hottest season, without suffering 



FIRST HUMAN HABITATIONS. 



51 



from fatigue. Allahu akbar ! but they are 
devils incarnate !" 

" Who has seen the Eesah, who has 
heard the Eesah ?" wildly challenged Mo- 
hammad ibn Izhak, starting upon his feet, 
and clashing his now finished bolster 
against his buckler, as he concluded this 
harangue. " Who has seen the Eesah, 
who has heard the Eesah ?" shouted a doz- 
en voices in various quarters of the extend- 
ed camp. " Uncover your shields, uncov- 
er your shields ! Count well their spears, 
that not a man of them escape !" 

" We have not seen them, we have not 
heard them," responded the patroles on 
duty. " No Eesah are here. Sleep on in 
peace !" 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

TERRITORIES OF THE DANAKIL DEBENI. 
SUGGADERA, MURRAH, DTJDDEE, AND GO- 
BAAD. 

Some hours before dawn on the 12th, 
the kaiilah was again loaded and in motion 
across a low belt of stony eminences which 
gradually descend to the Kori Wady, a 
long water-course, varying in width from 
two to four hundred yards. Threading the 
moist channel of this stream, where the 
foot often absolutely left an impression on 
the sand, and passing the watering pool of 
Leile, the road ascended a deep valley to 
the halting ground at Suggadera, in the 
country of the Danakil Debeni. The en- 
tire borders were flanked by dwarf palms 
and drooping tamarisk, bounded by low 
hills with cliffs of conglomerate and sand- 
stone, which disclosed dikes of porphyry 
at an acute angle. Flocks of goats, dili- 
gently browsing on the fat pods which fall 
at this season from the acacia, were tended 
bv ancient Bedouin crones in greasy leath- 
ern peticoats, who plaited mats of the split 
date-leaf; while groups of men, women, 
and children, lining the eminences at every 
turn, watched the progress of the stranger 
party 

A pastoral race, and subsisting chiefly 
upon the fermented juice of the palm, and 
upon the milk derived from numerous 
flocks of sheep and goats, or from a few 
breeding camels, the Debeni, a division of 
the Danakil, are during certain months of 
the year engaged in the transportation of 
salt from the deadly Bahr Assa to the 
Mudaito town of Aussa, where it is bar- 
tered for grain. Architecture affords no 
term applicable to a structure of any kind 
inferior to a hut or hovelt or it might with 



propriety be applied to the base jumble of 
rough stone and shavings of the date stalk, 
tenanted by these nomade savages, who 
are divided into clans, and have no fixed 
habitations. Nevertheless there was some- 
thing cheering in the aspect even of these 
frail edifices, the first human tenement 
which had greeted the eye since leaving 
the sea-coast, now ninety miles distant. 
Bare, desolate, and fiery, the entire inter- 
vening tract, although infested by the 
lurking robber and the midnight assassin, 
may be pronounced in all its sultry parts, 
utterly unfitted for the location of man. 

Water of rather an improved description 
was obtained at Suggadera, under basaltic 
rock, stained green by carbonate of copper. 
But not a particle of forage was to be had ; 
and the heat, reflected from a pebbly hill, 
beneath which the tent was erected, 
brought the mercury in the thermometer 
to 118°, during the greater portion of the 
day ; and the evil appearance of the place, 
surrounded by gloomy hills cast into the 
deepest shadow, led to the maintenance of 
■a vigilant watch during the dark night. 

Although disturbed at the early hour of 
1 a. M.,and denied further repose save on 
the bare ground, the loss of a camel, which 
was not recovered until late, so far retarded 
advance, that only four miles were achieved 
on the 13th. The road continued to wind 
with a gentle ascent along the bed of the 
Wady Kori, the hills gradually diminish- 
ing in apparent height until they merged 
into the elevated plain of Murrah, which 
exhibited pebbles of pink quartz, with a 
few scanty tufts of sweet-scented grass, 
yellow and withered. Here, at the dis- 
tance of two miles from a puddle of dirty 
rain-water, in defiance of the impotent 
ras el kafilah, the camel drivers, who stu- 
diously avoid trees and the vicinity of a 
pool, resolved to halt, as being a place after 
their own hearts. 

In the dry water-course just left, the 
chirruping of some solitary hermit bird, and 
the bursting bud of a certain dwarf shrub 
which clothed the borders, agreeably re- 
minded the traveller of more favored 
climes. But. most completely was the il- 
lusion dispelled by the forbidding aspect of 
the sultry plain of Murrah. Monotonous 
fields strewn with black boulders, glaring 
in the sun, distressed the gaze wheresoever 
it was turned — each cindery mass seeming 
as though it had been showered down du- 
ring a violent irruption of some neighboring 
volcano ; although, on nearer inspection, 
it proved to be the time-worn fragment of 
an extensive lava sheet. The bare stony 
plain was decorated with numerous cairns, 



52 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



marking deeds of treachery and blood ; and 
at the distance of twenty miles rose a lofty 
range of hot table-land, behind which the 
Abyssinian river Hawash is lost in the 
great lake at Aussa. 

The presence at the watering-place of a 
host of wild Bedouins, whose appearance 
was far from prepossessing, again induced 
the cautious elders to anticipate an attack; 
and the camp occupying a very unfavora- 
ble position for warlike operations, no lit- 
tle difficulty was experienced in making 
defensive dispositions. A gloomy black 
hill threw its impenetrable shadow imme- 
diately in front ; and on the flank, a pile 
of half-ruined sheepfolds, constructed of 
blocks of lava, afforded extensive conceal- 
ment. The night however passed away 
without any aWm, and the intense heat of 
the day giving place to a somewhat cooler 
atmosphere, admt ed of sleep by turns in 
some comfort — parties of the Danakil es- 
cort contriving by chanting their wild war 
chorus, to keep their heavy eyes longer 
open than usual. 

An hour after midnight the loading com- 
menced, and the steep rocky hill having 
been surmounted by a path strewed with 
loose stones, a terrace of slow ascent, pre- 
senting the same dreary appearance of 
rocks and lava boulders, continued during 
the residue of the moon's reign. At break 
of day, however, the aspect of the country 
began rapidly to improve. Gaining the 
higher and more salubrious level of Gula- 
jno, the bare sterile land, strewed w T ith 
black blocks of lava which tore the feet 
with their jagged edges, was fast giving 
place to sandy plains covered with dry 
yellow grass — a most welcome prospect 
for the exhausted cattle. Heretofore, sav- 
ing in the wadys, no tree had been seen 
except small stunted leafless acacias, few 
and far betwe?n, and scarcely deserving 
of the name. Several small ravines were 
now choked with continuous groves, and a 
mountain stream termed Chekaito, which 
rises in the country of the Eesah, and in 
the rainy season disembogues into the lake 
at Aussa, was thickly clothed on both sides 
with green belts of tamarisk, wild caper, 
and other wood, overhung with creeping 
parasites, and affording food and shelter to 
birds. The pensile nests of the long-tailed 
loxia depended from the boughs ; and while 
the stems, covered with drift to the height 
of fifteen feet, gave evidence of a headlong 
course during the rains, water, even at 
this season, was here and there to be ob- 
tained. 

Heaps of louse stones thrown carelessly 
together, mark in almost every direction 



the spot where the victim lies who has 
been cut off by some cold-blooded miscre- 
ant — melancholy monuments connected 
each with a tale of assassination. But on 
the banks of the Chekaito many acres of 
ground are covered with stones of memo- 
rial, such as were raised over Absalom, 
and over Achan the king of Ai, each sur- 
rounded by a circular cordon which bears 
the stamp of high antiquity, and has evi- 
dently witnessed the passage of ages. 
These sepulchres are said to cover the 
bones of the heroes who fell in a battle 
fought on the spot at the period that the 
country was first wrested from the shep- 
herds. "Hai," the designation of the spot 
itself, is applied also to the entire sur- 
rounding district, which is stated to have 
been formerly peopled by the Gittertza, a 
gigantic pastoral race, who, under the 
chief Sango, were at enmity with all the 
surrounding tribes, but are now extinct. 

After five times crossing the serpentine 
bed to the point of junction with the Sa- 
gulli, where ostriches cropped the grass 
around numerous deserted sheep-pens, the 
caravan finally halted at Duddee, no great 
distance from Ramudele. For days to- 
gether the pilgrimage had led across 
dreary and desolate wastes, and through 
sterile ravines where no verdure relieved 
the eye, no melody broke upon the ear, 
and so few living creatures were to be 
seen, that the unwonted appearance of a 
solitary butterfly which had become be- 
wildered in the desert, was duly hailed as 
an event. The general character is that 
of a stern wilderness, parched by the in- 
tolerable heat of a vertical sun blazing in 
fierce refulgence over the naked land- 
scape, of which the chief varieties consist 
in immense plains of dry cracked mud, or 
in barren rocks towering toward an un- 
clouded and burning sky. Tne otter ste- 
rility of the soil is rather marked than al- 
leviated by occasional sickly plants of 
most puny growth, and by the scanty ver- 
dure of the few valleys wherein water is 
to be found, generally in a state of stag- 
nation. But at Duddee, forage and fuel 
were abundant. The water obtained by 
digging in the channel of the stream was 
no longer brackish. The heat, although 
the thermometer rose to 110°, was infi- 
nitely more endurable than it had hitherto 
proved ; and the insatiable thirst by which 
all had been incessantly tormented on the 
lower ground, had well-nigh disappeared. 

A march of twelve miles over a succes- 
sion of grassy plains, untenanted by man 
or beast, but presenting the first cone of 
the termites that had been seen, brought 



LOHEITA IBN IBRAHIM. 



53 



the party on the 15th to the inclosed val- 
ley of Gobaad, a thousand and fifty-seven 
feet above the ocean. Voleanic ashes, 
jasper, chalcedony, and quartz, strewed 
the sandy route, low volcanic ridges, of 
comparatively recent formation, intersect- 
ing the landscape from west to east. The 
encamping ground, among heaps of hard 
gravel, near which water was good and 
plentiful, had only two years previously 
formed the scene of the discomfiture oi 
the ras el kafilah and his party, who had 
been plundered of all they possessed by 
two hundred and fifty mounted Eesah. 
The recollection of the disaster being 
green in his memory, he had, before leav- 
ing Duddee, donned his folio Koran, in the 
place of a duodecimo edition which pre- 
viously graced his shoulder. This was a 
not-to-be-mistaken sign of " khouf fee*" 
and with a terror-stricken face he now 
came to intimate, that the presence of a 
band of these lawless ruffians in the op- 
posite hills, together with a gathering of 
the Muda'ito at the neighboring pools of 
Sabala and Dagateli, leaving no sort of 
doubt upon his mind of a meditated attack 
during the night, it behoved every man to 
be more than usually on the alert. 

The equanimity of the brother of the 
Sultan of Tajilra was somewhat disturbed 
at the assurance in reply to this exhorta- 
tion, that the Danakil camel-owners were 
the thieves most to be dreaded, their dirty 
and dishonest fingers being unhesitatingly 
thrust into the bags of rice and dates, 
whensoever opportunity proved favorable ; 
and that the hired escort, whose business 
it was to prevent the mal-appropriation of 
the property of the embassy, far from as- 
sisting to keep watch, left the duty to be 
performed by the Europeans, and invaria- 
bly went to sleep on their posts. 

" Not one of them shall close his eyes 
to-night, at all events," grumbled the ras. 
« : I shall myself superintend the business, 
and see to the safety of the camp ; for, by 
the life of the Prophet, this is an evil 
spot !" 

As the red sun went down, there was 
certainly a considerable display of erect 
spears ; but their number gradually dimin- 
ished as the night closed in ; and when 
the ten o'clock sentry was relieved, Izhak 
was snoring aloud, according to his wont, 
while each doughty warrior lay fast asleep, 
with his greasy head upon his shield, and 
his broad lance in the precise position that 
it assumed, when it fell frorr die relaxed 
grasp of the slumberer. 



* i. e. There is danger to be apprehended. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

INTERVIEW WITH THE OGRE. 

Lohei'ta ibn Ibrahim, makobunto, akil, 
or chief of the Debeni and a section of 
the Eesah, asserting supremacy over Go- 
baad, as a portion of his princely domin- 
ions, which extend from the Great Salt 
Lake to Ramudele, a messenger had, im- 
mediately upon the arrival of the caravan, 
been dispatched to his encampment in the 
neighborhood, to invite the hero to the 
tent ; and the peaceful night passed, hav- 
ing inspired the leader of the alarmist 
party with new confidence, the non-arrival 
of the expected visitor was made an ex- 
cuse for halting the following day. 

Attended by a numerous and disreputa- 
ble retinue, dragging as a gift an obstinate 
old he-goat, the potent eavage, whose ex- 
ploit of clearing the high road of the 
restless marauders, who long obstructed 
the passage of kafilahs, has already been 
noticed in terms of commendation, saun- 
tered carelessly in during the early hours 
of the forenoon. Not one w T hit better 
clad than the ragged and greasy ruffians 
in his train, he was yet distinguished by 
weapons of a superior order — the shaft of 
his spear, which resembled a weaver's 
beam, being mounted below the broad glit- 
tering blade with rings of brass and copper, 
while the hilt and scabbard of a truly for- 
midable creese were embellished in like 
ostentatious fashion. The wearer's aris- 
tocratic air, and look of wild determination, 
were well in unison with the reputation 
he had acquired as a warrior chief. Long 
raven locks floated like engle's feathers 
over a bony and stalwart frame. A pair 
of large sinewy arms, terminated in fingers 
tipped with nails akin to bird's claws, and 
the general form and figure of the puissant 
makobunto, brought forcibly to mind the 
ogre in the nursery tale, who breakfasted 
on nought save the flesh of tender inno- 
cents, and was cut short in his career of 
cannibalism by Jack the giant-killer. A 
mighty man of valor, and presiding over a 
numerous clan of fierce and savage war- 
riors, he is feared and respected by all the 
country round, and seemed to be right 
vrdil aware of his consequence upon the 
road. 

For some reason of his own, which he 
did not think proper to divulge, the audi- 
ence was deferred until dusk, when the 
warrior stalked consequentially into the 
tent, and deposited himself between the 
arms of a chair placed for his reception. 



54 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



with as much dignity and self-possession 
as if he had never in his life been seated 
upon the ground. Although his covering 
was restricted to a very dirty cotton cloth, 
he wrapped himself in the impenetrable 
mantle of silence, and comprehending no 
Arabic, gave ear to all the compliments 
that were translated for his edification into 
the Dankali tongue, with the most perfect 
indifference and mental abstraction ; until, 
having swallowed a sufficiency of hot 
coffee, and stuffed his nostriJs with a be- 
coming modicum of Regent's mixture, he 
deigned to lay aside a portion of his re- 
serve, and in slow, measured language, 
vouchsafed a brief detail of the energetic 
measures that had been adopted at his be- 
lies", toward the recovery of certain horses 
sent by his ally, the King of Shoa, to her 
Britannic majesty, and which had, by 
some unfortunate mischance, been stolen 
in their transit through Gobaad ; adding, 
that he would impart to the embassy the 
boon of his protection, and in earnest 
thereof, might probably condescend the 
favor of his countenance a few stages in 
advance. 

Izhak with his compeers sat in gloomy 
silence during the entire conference, evi- 
dently annoyed at the good understanding 
that subsisted betwixt his rival Mohammad 
Ali, and the illustrious guest. The pres- 
ents designed for the propitiation of the 
ogre hiving been duly transferred, were 
eagerly clutched, and hastily conveyed be- 
neath his buckler, or below the ample 
folds of his greasy garb, as being far too 
choice for the prying eyes of attendants ; 
and after sitting another half hour in taci- 
turn dignity, the prince of savages rose 
deliberately from his chair, and, loaded 
with broadcloth and trinkets, walked away 
as he had come, without condescending to 
pay attention to, or say a parting syllable 
to any one. 

The extraordinary hour chosen for this 
curious audience, had obviously been dic- 
tated by a desire to conceal from the cov- 
etous gaze of the wild spirits around him, 
the tribute which he had reasonably cal- 
culated upon receiving from the British 
pilgrims, on the occasion of their transit 
through his territories ; for, in truth, it 
must be confessed that the social state of 
these savages does not by any means be- 
tray that primitive simplicity so lauded and 
extolled by Rousseau. Rude barbarians 
they are, saturated with Moslem intoler- 
ance as with mutton fat; and although 
they tend their flocks in the parched valley 
after the most approved Arcadian fashion, 
yet the persons of even the boldest chiefs 



are not always secure : and however poets 
may have embroidered the subject with 
the flowers of their fancy, there is not to 
be found one individual of the whole com- 
munity, who would hesitate to cut a throat 
for the sake of the last remaining button 
on a waistcoat. 

Betwixt savage and civilized existence 
there yawns a wide gulf. The savage man 
and the civilized man, although descended 
from a common parent, can scarcely be 
said to belong to the same stock of human- 
ity, and he who has been pronounced the 
only true man, the lordly lord of the wil- 
derness, might here more appropriately be 
designated a devil incarnaie. An inter- 
esting trait in the children of nature was 
witnessed on the occasion of the slaugh- 
ter of the rank buck goat presented to the 
embassy by Loheita ibn Ibrahim. No soon- 
er had the razorlike creese been drawn 
across the throat, with the concomitant 
ejaculation, " Bismillahi rahmani raliim" 
— " in the name of God, the compassion- 
ate," the' merciful," — than a savage threw 
himself upon the expiring animal ; and 
having, vampire-like, quaffed as much of 
the hot flowing blood as he could obtain, 
besmeared his greasy features with the re- 
sidue, and wiped them on the still quiver- 
ing carcass. No tiger could have acted 
in more ferocious guise, or displayed a 
greater relish for the tide of life. 

This had been a day of feasting and 
carousal ; for both Izhak and the son of 
the Rookhba chief had likewise received 
sheep, and the slaughter of each had been 
followed by a general tussle for the pos- 
session of the caul. For the purpose of 
larding the head, this is a prize infinitely 
preferred even to the tail, which appendage 
in the Adel sheep is so copiously furnish- 
ed, that the animal is said to be capable of 
subsisting an entire year upon the absorp- 
tion of its own fat, without tasting water. 
It was truly delightful to witness the pro- 
cess of greasing the poll at the hands of 
the Danakil barber. The fat having been 
melted down in a wooden bowl, the opera- 
tor, removing his quid, and placing it in a 
secure position behind' the left ear, pro- 
ceeded to suck up copious mouthfuls of the 
liquid, which were then sputtered over the 
frizzled wig of a comrade, who, with man- 
tle drawn before his eyes to exclude stray 
portions of tallow, remained squatted on 
his haunches, the very picture of patience. 
The bowl exhausted, the operator careful- 
ly collecrs the suet that has creamed 
around his chaps as to render him inartic- 
ulate ; and having duly smeared the same 
over the filthy garment of him to whom 



CHIEFS OF THE EESAH. 



55 



it in equity belongs, proceeds, with a skew- 
er, to put the last finishing touch to his 
work, which, as the lard congealed, has 
gradually assumed the desired aspect of a 
line full-blown cauliflower. 

The Dankali who . has prevailed over 
his foe, adorns his cranium with a perfect 
frost of tallow, dons a leopard-skin decora- 
ted with monkey tails three times in excess 
of the highest bashaw in the Ottoman em- 
pire, and tricks himself out with feathers 
in all the variety of savage fancy, the lobe 
of his ear being pierced for the reception 
of pewter rings,. which denote the number 
of his victories achieved. Many warriors 
thus distinguished had strolled in during 
the day ; for there had been an onslaught 
upon the Eesah, who among other recent 
atrocities, had, only the preceding week, 
ripped up six pregnant Debeni females. 
The same wearisome string of inquiries 
on the part of each member of the kafilah, 
were responded to in the same cold monot- 
onous drawl, and then bandied back by the 
new arrival — apathy and indifference per- 
vading the features of both parties through- 
out the endless mechanical repetitions of 
" WogerriV and " Wogerri maaniV 

To Gebaad, from the shores of Lake 
Abhibbad, which is formed by the waters 
drained from Abyssinia, it is said to be 
one easy day's journey for the pedestrian. 
Among other Muda'ito visitors from its 
borders, there came one of the Galeyla, 
an outcast from his clan, who bore among 
his fellows the reputation of being a veri- 
table cannibal. This villain became at 
once the cynosure of every eye, and stood 
confessed the vilest of the vile. A coil of 
putrid entrails which encircled his neck, 
had been distended with mutton fat into 
the figure of monstrous sausages ; and the 
shaggy mane of a filthy hyena, that he had 
destroyed and devoured the preceding day, 
being twined in a becoming wreath around 
his dark brow, mingled wildly with his 
dishevelled locks. Under the gaze of so 
great a crowd, his calm repose was calcu- 
lated to elicit the highest admiration ; and 
fully sensible of his own merit, the man- 
eater endured the scrutiny of the curious 
populace with an air of conscious dignity, 
which was scarcely disturbed when the 
temerity of the more juvenile spectators 
called imperatively for the interference of 
his heavy mace. 

It is difficult to comprehend the motives 
which may have induced this worthy to 
venture thus rashly among his bitterest 
foes ; but the nature of the terms occasion- 
ally subsisting between the Muda'ito and 



the Danakil are not more singularly ano- 
malous than those that bind the Danakil 
and the Eesah, over a portion of which 
latter Lohei'ta ibn Ibrahim exercises nomi- 
nal supremacy. Making common cause, 
and assisting each other against the Mu- 
da'ito, international hostilities are never- 
theless almost unceasing ; and mutual in- 
terest, added to the aversion entertained to 
the perpetuation of blood feuds, affords 
perhaps the only substantial argument for 
their temporary cessation. 

Of three chieftains who take the title of 
ougass, and whose authority is in some 
sort acknowledged by the Eesah, the prin- 
cipal is Ougass Robiley, who resides with 
the Gidderboosi, south of Zeyla. Hoos- 
sain ibn Fara, the next in order, is related 
by marriage to the makobunto of the De- 
beni, and asserts influence from the Reah- 
moosa tribe of Somauli, bordering on Goo- 
but el Kharab, to Kore Koragureet, within 
thirty miles of Zeyla, where commences- 
the country of the Hebrowal — thence south 
to the limits of the Galla territory, and 
northwest to Killulloo. Here it is bound- 
ed by Errur, the residence of the old ske'ikh, 
of the Woema, and by the independent Mo- 
hammadan principality of Hurrur, whose 
ameer annually confers upon each Eesah 
chief a conical skull cap and turban, in re- 
cognition of his alliance. 

Not a cloud blotted, the sparkling vault 
overhead, which now blazed out in a per- 
fect galaxy of light, engirdled by the lumi- 
nous zone in the milky way. Attention 
was early directed to its beauties by the 
showers of meteors that in rapid succession 
shot through the innumerable host of hea- 
ven, and temporarily eclipsed their brill- 
iancy. The night was already somewhat 
advanced when Lohe'ita sent to demand a 
private audience upon two points of vital 
importance; and Mohammad Ali being the 
agent employed, no time was lost in ar- 
ranging the desired interview. " My beard 
is troublesome," whispered the ogre in a 
most mysterious tone, after he had been 
some minutes seated in silence ; " my tough 
beard is not readily trimmed with a creese, 
and a razor would therefore have been de- 
sirable." A first-rate Savigny was imme- 
diately placed within his grasp. "And, 
secondly," he continued, trying the keen 
edge upon the largest of his formidable 
talons, " my sister, who is far advanced in 
her pregnancy, has lately rejected food — 
mutton, beef, everything in fact has been 
offered, and equally loathed. Now I am 
desirous of trying whether she might not 
fancy a bag of dates." 



56 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



CHAPTER XX. 

SHOWING HOW THE OGRE ACQUITTED HIM- 
SELF AT GOOTABELLA. 

Many and tragic were the tales narrated 
of the prowess of the ogre when the hot 
blood of youth boiled in his warrior veins. 
The first feat of his early days, ascribed to 
the year of the great comet, is still green 
in every recollection ; and as it was re- 
counted by Ibrahim Shehem, so was it 
vouched for by those of the Danakil braves, 
who during the recital crowded around the 
watch-fire at Gobaad. 

The gray- bearded elders had sat for 
many nights in deep consultation, and the 
chicken-hearted of the Debeni had ex- 
hausted all the usual epithets upon the 
countless number of the foe, and the con- 
sequences of rash and fool-hardy adven- 
ture, w T hen the youthful chief raised his 
manly form in the circle, and his brawny 
proportions seemed to dilate into colossal 
stature in the dimness of the evening mist. 

" Listen to my words," he exclaimed, 
" for they are the sentiments of my heart. 
Children of Lohe'ita, hearken to the voice 
of your leader ! Has the spirit of the foul 
hare entered into the breast of the war- 
rior ? Is the shield no longer to clash, nor 
the broad spear to glitter in the valley of 
Gobaad ? Are the Debeni tamely to suf- 
fer their wives and their daughters to be 
carried into captivity, their flocks and their 
herds to be swept off, their wells to be 
taken possession of, and their very name 
made the scorn and the laughing-stock of 
the dastardly Mudaito, without one strug- 
gle to prevent it ? Dust be upon my head 
if the brave sons of the desert should thus 
root themselves in a quiet spot, like the 
withered and dying acacia, without a sin- 
gle thorn to avenge an insult ! Rouse ye, 
my children, for in the name of the most 
holy Prophet I will even dare the danger 
of the war ; and ignominy sully the fame 
of him who shall suffer his chief to mingle 
singly in the strife." 

Reseating his sinewy form upon the 
rock, Lohe'ita covered his face in the folds 
of his garment, and in anxious silence 
awaited the result of this appeal. But the 
chord of feeling had been struck by a mas- 
ter hand. A low murmur of voices was 
quickly followed by the deep hum of ap- 
probation accompanying the confused clat- 
ter of the bucklers, and the elders, rising 
simultaneously, proclaimed, "It is the voice 
and the will of the Most High. Even so 
let it be !" The erect spears sank with 
one accord to the ground, and the stern 



" Ameen" of the assembled tribe, rolled 
ominously among the surrounding cliffs. 

For some days after this harangue, the 
Debeni maintained a peaceable demeanor ; 
but it was now the still, treacherous calm 
which precedes the hurricane. The Ga- 
leyla Mudaito, who had already possessed 
themselves of all the choicest grazing 
grounds in the neighborhood, and com- 
pletely closed the caravan route from Abys- 
synia to the sea-coast, meanwhile contin- 
ued their depredations with impunity ; one 
subdivision of the tribe settling in the 
small valley of Gootabella, where they 
erected permanent habitations, and boast- 
ed of their unmolested vicinity to the 
graves of the ancestors of Lohe'ita. 

The Galeyla subdivision of the great na 
tion of Mudaito had rendered itself more 
particularly obnoxious by its aggressions- 
Many were the young men of Gobaad wh( 
had fallen under their sharp knives. Scorn 
ful taunts were ever rife upon the tips of 
their insulting tongues ; and few indeed of 
the huts in the valley had not at some pe« 
riod sent forth the voice of wailing an4 
lamentation for captive maids or for harrie* 
flocks. But the day of dire retribution wa> 
fast speeding on. The wane of the mooi 
was the appointed signal of rendezvous U 
the heretofore slothful tribe ; and as tba 
darkness of the unlit night shrouded the 
valley and the hill, all those members of 
the clan whose spirit had not been utterly 
quelled by the frequent disasters experi- 
enced at the hand of the sanguinary inva- 
der, mustered around their youthful chief. 

Silently, like the descending wreath of 
snow, the tiles of warriors poured in from 
every quarter of his extensive though dis- 
tracted domain. The nation had respond- 
ed to the call of its leader ; and the wrinkled 
brow, and the full oily cheek : the thin sin- 
ewy shank of the veteran, and the grace- 
ful form of the untried but aspiring strip- 
ling, were soon mingled together. The 
sun set upon a busy scene in the lone val- 
ley of Gobaad. Two thousand savages, 
enjoying the rude feast that had been 
amply provided for their wants, w T ere en- 
gaged in close- whispering consultation on 
the coming strife ; and wrought to a pitch 
of frenzy by the spirit-stirring words of 
their warlike chief, no less than by the 
exhortations of his wily emissaries, who, 
ever and anon, mixed with the carousing 
groups, to feed their panting passions 
against the hereditary foe, each warrior 
firmly clenched his teeth in dread deter- 
mination, while he whetted his sharp wea- 
pon to the keenest edge upon the nearest 
stone. 



THE MASSACRE OF GOOTABELLA. 



57 



As the fire blazed brightly upon shield, 
and spear, and stalwart frame, Loheita 
moved forth in front of his inclosure, buck- 
led for the fray. His active form was ful- 
ly revealed by the fitful flame ; and a dark 
smile played for the moment over his stern 
visage, as his followers, rising with one ac- 
cord, unsheathed their murderous creeses, 
and, bursting into a loud murmur of ap- 
plause, swore by the sacred volume that 
the steel should "that night reek in the hot 
blood of the accursed Mudai'to. 

Placing himself at the head of his ani- 
mated retainers, the chief now led the ad- 
vancing van, and the tramp of the eager 
savage fell light over the steep mountain 
and the boundless plain. Deep darkness 
was esteemed of small account by these 
children of the desert, who, like the course 
of the falling thunderbolt, held on their 
progress in the true direction. Starting 
as the dense phalanx advanced, the timid 
gazel scoured in terror over the valley, 
and the prowling lion yielded the path to 
men who were now in a mood not less 
desperate than his own. 

The last rocky defile gained, a deep im- 
penetrable gloom pervaded the scene. The 
very stars were hid under a partial mist, 
and nought gave token of the habitation 
or the presence of man, save at intervals 
the disturbed bleat of captive Debeni flocks. 
" They were ours once," scornfully mut- 
tered the chief betwixt his closed teeth, 
"and, Wullah! if there be faith in the 
sharp steel of a true believer, they shall 
this night return to their pastures." 

" All know the valley of Gootabella," 
observed the narrator, "closely hemmed 
in on three sides by towering cliffs, over 
one perpendicular rock at the neck of 
which, the river Chekaito, leaping, extends 
its sandy bed throughout the entire centre, 
so that ten resolute spirits might defend 
the only outlet against countless legions. 
None save the sons of asses would have 
pitched their tents in that spot ; but the 
Galeyla were overweeningly conceited and 
vain of their exploits, and held in utter 
contempt the dispossessed proprietors of 
the soil, whom they had hitherto so easily 
despoiled." 

No timely note of alarm announced the 
approach of danger ; and the noiseless step 
of the foe gliding unheard round the devo- 
ted hamlet, it was encompassed on every 
side. Infuriate warriors in appalling si- 
lence beleaguered the narrow aperture of 
each matted wigwam. The recollection 
of captive and murdered relatives, of burn- 
ing huts and harried flocks, entered deep 
into the stern soul of each grim assailant ; 



and as the edge of the naked creese was 
passed cautiously along the finger, a prayer 
was breathed on high to the throne of the 
Eternal Avenger. 

The unsuspecting inmates of every abode 
were hushed in deep repose. The spear 
lay entangled in the folds of the scattered 
garments, the shield had been cast idly in 
the corner, and the warrior, surrounded by 
his wives and little ones, was wrapped in 
peaceful rest, such as he was wont to en- 
joy when lulled by the gentle murmur of 
the breaking waves of the Bahr el Shub, 
in his own far distant land. 

The suffocating fumes of smoke soon 
stole upon the sense of the drowsy slum- 
berers ; the crackling of flames aroused all 
abruptly from their dreams of security, and 
the lurid glare that enveloped the blazing 
hamlet caused each affrighted inmate to 
rush to the door, where the crooked steel, 
driven by the hand of desperate revenge, 
was sheathed in many a bare bosom. 

Sudden, electric, and complete was the 
surprise, and vain were the efforts of the 
unarmed warrior. Loheita raged through 
the scene like the demon of the angry el- 
ement, and each follower ruthlessly strove 
to emulate his example. A dozen spear- 
blades transfixed the body of every fugitive. 
Two thousand of the foe fell during the 
murderous onslaught ; and in that fearful 
night all ancient injuries were well washed 
out in the warm blood of the Mudaito. 

The pent-up wrath of the savage, like 
the checked waters of an impetuous moun- 
tain torrent, bursting all bounds, careered 
along without restraint Mockery and 
insult were bandied back to the frantic 
screams of the women, as their tender 
babes were barbarously pitched into the 
hissing flame ; and the red sun rose above 
the beetling crags to witness a frightful 
scene of carnage and desolation. 

Flocks and herds had burst from their 
folds, and betaken themselves to the wil- 
derness. Scorched and mangled bodies 
thickly strewed the ground, or lay half 
consumed among the smouldering embers 
of the pile. The groans of the dying min- 
gled with the bitter wailing of captive fe- 
males bereft of husband and offspring ; and 
the chief surrounded by his exulting host 
sat in grim triumph beside the dense col- 
umn of smoke, which with an eddying flame 
ascended high into the vault of heaven from 
the black and burning monument to De- 
beni vengeance. 

A deep fissure in the bowels of the hill, 
had given refuge to a determined few who 
had sought safety within its rocky sides : 
but the keen eye was not long in discov- 



58 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ering the dim track of the fugitives ; and 
the insatiate chieftain, speeding upon the 
trail, tore from the aperture the thorns and 
overhanging shrubs, and dashed into the 
cave with spear and buckler. The only 
resistance made during the foray was in 
this last stronghold ; and Loheita received 
a deep wound on the breast, the scar of 
which will be borne to his grave. Des- 
peration nerved the limbs of the surviving 
Galeyla, who, well knowing that no quar- 
ter would be granted, sullenly fought on 
with the few weapons they had snatched 
up in their hurried flight ; but all died in 
the unequal strife upon the spot where they 
had taken their last stand. 

Crowned with brilliant success., the re- 
turn of the dauntless young chief from his 
first expedition was swelled by troops of 
captive maids and by the pillaged herds of 
years. But the triumph had been achieved 
with no trifling loss to his clan. The bod- 
ies of thirteen braves, borne by their com- 
rades upon* green branches of the palm, 
closed the order of march, and the war- 
chorus pealed wildly among the rocks as 
the victorious host poured back through the 
valley of Gobaad. 

A burst of savage acclamation, which 
2*ose shrill and high in the noontide heat 
from the assembled population, was suc- 
ceeded by a solemn pause as the dread ti- 
dings were imparted to the relatives of the 
fallen. A path was cleared through the 
now hushed and silent phalanx, while muf- 
fled females, beating their bare breasts, 
passed toward the biers between the open 
ranks. The boldest and the bravest had 
been untimely cut ofT; and their widows, 
throwing themselves upon the lifeless 
bodies, indulged for a season in the most 
piercing shrieks and extravagant grief. 
But the deep loud chant of the elders, "It 
is the decree of the Most High," drowned 
the hysterical sobs of the bereaved ; and 
the host again moved on in boisterous mirth 
to indulge, after the successful foray, ac- 
cording to the bent of their inclinations, 
and prepare for a series of achievements, 
which have since cleared the surrounding 
plains. 

To this day none but the boldest dare, 
after nightfall, to enter the valley of skulls. 
The moans of the Galeyla warriors, who 
fell in the affray, are heard amid the fune- 
real sighing of the wind ; the plaintive song 
of the Bedouin maid still chronicles the 
event ; and long will be remembered in the 
red house of Mudaito the night of the mas- 
sacre of Gootabella. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

SANKUL AND SUG GAGED AN. DAWATLAKA 
AND AMADOO IN THE LIMITS OF THE 
GALEYLA MUDAITO. 

Ascending by an extremely bad road the 
broken range to the southward, which 
commands a fine prospect over the valley 
of Gobaad, the kafilah reached Sankul on 
the 17th. It forms the focus of several 
small dales, converging from the table-land, 
and shut in from all breeze by the sur- 
rounding steep black cliffs of basalt, pass- 
ing into hornblende. A small cave near 
the encamping ground, was occupied by a 
colony of industrious bees ; and at the 
only well, flocks of the diminutive black- 
faced Berbera sheep, were drinking from a 
trough formed of ox-hide stretched be- 
tween four stakes, to which the water was 
transferred in gourds by greasy Bedouin 
shepherdesses. The evening was passed 
in perpetual wrangling with these matrons 
during the operation of filling up the wa- 
ter-skins ; and sad presage was afforded of 
a coming day of drought, which the ex- 
hausted and sinking cattle of the caravan 
were hourly waxing less able to endure. 

The next march led over the high table- 
land of Hood Aii, a stony level thickly 
studded with dry grass, and extending in 
one monotonous plateau far as the eye 
could reach. The fetid carrion-flower here 
presented its globular purple blossoms 
among the crevices, and a singular medi- 
cinal plant, lab-lubba, was detected by the 
keen eye of a savage, who had before 
evinced a latent taste for botanical studies. 
The usual encamping ground at Arabdera 
was found to be preoccupied by a nomade 
tribe of Bedouin goat-herds, who monopo- 
lized the scanty water. Descending the 
range, therefore, the bluff brow of which 
commanded an extensive prospect over the 
wide level valley of Dullool, the kafilah 
halted at Suggagedan. This arid spot in 
the strand- like waste was covered with 
masses of lava, and with blocks of basalt 
from the adjacent hills. It was parched 
by a burning atmosphere, and afforded no 
water whatever — calamities which resulted 
in the abandonment of a horse and two of 
the mules, that were no longer able to bear 
up against thirst and fatigue ; while many 
others now dragged their weary limbs with 
difficulty, and seemed but too well disposed 
to follow the example. 

Dullool is one thousand two hundred 
and twenty.eight feet above the level of the 
sea — a perfect flat, covered with alluvial 



WILD ASSES— DECEPTIO VISUS. 



59 



deposit, and studded with extensive tracts 
of eoarse, dry grass in tufts, among which, 
as the almost interminable string of camels 
crossed the following morning, both os- 
triches and gazels were descried. It is 
bounded by a bold mountain range ; and 
the farther extremity of the plain, to- 
ward the foot of Jebel Marie, is perfectly 
bare, stretching away to the westward, in 
one uninterrupted sheet of hard, compact 
mud, which imparts the aspect of the Runn 
of Cutch. A herd of wild asses, precisely 
similar to those found on the Indian salt 
desert, materially enhanced the resem- 
blance ; and the sun, which had now at- 
tained considerable altitude, casting his 
rays in a full blaze over the naked plain, 
called up the dancing mirage, that was 
alone wanting to complete the picture. 

On this level expanse, which terminates 
in a cul-de-sac, shut in by high basaltic 
walls, inaccessible either to man or beast, 
the Adaiel affect to ride down the wild ass, 
upon lean mules forsooth, and to rip up the 
quarry with their creeses. There had 
been much vainglorious talking upon this 
head, but it ended, like every Dauakil 
boast, in nothing. The hawk-eye of che 
ogre detected an out-lying mare a*iong 
the ravines at the foot of the range ; and 
he dashed off the road with such lightning- 
speed, that the animal narrowly escaped 
being hemmed into a corner ; iut once on 
the broad desert, and she tossed her arched 
neck, kicked up her war*.on heels, and 
laughed at the absurd efforts of her impo- 
tent pursuers. 

IiOose stones again itrewed the approach 
to the Marie range, which is of trap form- 
ation, of a slaty texture, stained with red 
iron oxide, and' intersected by veins of iron 
clay. A breach in the hills, here about a 
thousand or twelve hundred feet high, form- 
ed a steep sloping ridge of lava rocks, con- 
taining quantities of carbonate of lime, dis- 
posed in rhomboids and hexagonal sheets. 
In this nook, surrounded by a thick jungle 
of acacia, were sundry basins filled with 
clear water, to which the solar rays had 
not penetrated. They afforded most re- 
freshing draughts ; and the skins having 
been replenished, the encampment was 
formed at Dawaylaka, a full mile beyond. 
Marie is not a word of either Arabic or 
Dankali derivation ; whence it seems not 
improbable that this bold range of hills 
may, in days of yore, have been named by 
some wanderer from the West. 

A fine fresh morning succeeded to a 

very sultry night, passed upon the hard hot 

stones ; and, at break of day, the cattle 

having been taken to the pools, where, at 

5* 



so early an hour, they would drink but lit- 
tle, the skins were again replenished, and 
the caravan pursued its march to Oomer- 
gooloof, which can boast of no water at 
any season. Of two roads, the lower, but 
more level, was adopted, in consequence 
of the exhaustion of the beasts of burthen. 
It led across a dry, desert plain of six 
miles, over which thf delusion of mirage 
was complete. Coding the valley, as far 
as the eye could r^ach, to the foot of the 
hills, which rise abruptly on all sides, it 
imparted the appearance of an extensive 
bay, shut in oy projecting headlands — a 
still calm kke, so unmoved by the wind 
that every cliff was most distinctly reflect- 
ed on the mirror of its glassy bosom. 

Approaching from a higher level, a rip- 
ple pUyed upon the surface of the vision- 
ary water ; and the vapor being too subtle 
to screen irregularities of the ground, the 
aqueous expanse soon became gradually 
disunited, until it ultimately vanished alto- 
gether. The scene, cool and pleasant while 
it endured, formed a striking contrast to the 
baked alluvial desert under foot, destitute 
of even a vestige of vegetation, but over 
which was wafted a zephyr as unlooked-for 
as refreshing. Thrown in a particular way, 
and on certain atoms, rays of light produce 
illusions to the vision which are often em- 
bodied after the likeness of objects most 
deeply dwelling in the imagination. Thus 
it was that the character of the headlands 
of Dullool, square and perpendicular, to- 
gether with an islet riding like a ship at 
her cable in the centre of the molten basin, 
aided the striking similarity of names in the 
respective neighborhoods, to bring vividly 
before the eyes of all, the apparition of the 
bay of Goobut el Kharab. 

Immediately opposite to Oomergooloof is 
a projecting spur from Jebel Oobnoo, a lofty 
range visible to the westward ; and this 
divides the plain into two valleys, whereof 
the southernmost is denominated Wada 
Arfa. The Marie range here towers over- 
head, steep and precipitous, to the height 
of about nine hundred feet ; stupendous 
masses of rock which have been detached 
from the summit, and strew the entire base, 
corroborating the assertion of the Danakil 
that earthquakes are frequently felt in the 
vicinity. Nomade tribes with their families 
and flocks, having settled at the wells which 
exist at a distance, had compelled the gen- 
tler portion of the Libyan creation to resort 
to regions more blest with water ; and not 
even a desert-loving gazel was espied du- 
ring the march of twelve miles. 

Ibrahim Shehem Abli had long viewed 
with the eye of bigoted disapproval, the at- 



60 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tentions paid by one of the Mohammadan 
followers to two canine companions of the 
party, pets that had survived the passage 
of the fiery Tehama, but whose feet had 
become so lacerated by the hot lava boul- 
ders as to incapacitate them from walking. 
Quilp — for so the offending Moslem was 
styled from his striking resemblance to that 
notable character — was in the act of extri- 
cating his wire-haire& charge from the 
panniers wherein they travelled, when the 
irascible little warrior *<*oproached, and, 
drawing his trenchant blaa\ swore with a 
dreadful anathema to exterminate him on 
the spot. " Dog, and father of dogs," he 
exclaimed, seizing the dismayed mortal by 
the throat, " beware how thou agai* defilest 
thy fingers with those accursed curs^ or by 
the beard of the Prophet I will sever thy 
gullet as one who has brought Soul dis- 
credit upon the faith." Then relaxing his 
grasp, and sheathing his creese with a hori- 
zontal flourish, he threw himself into \he 
attitude of a slaughtered victim, and closed 
the significant lecture by mimicry of the 
gurgle heard in a divided windpipe, whence 
the tide of life is welling. 

Several herds of cattle pertaining to the 
Issehiraba Mudaito, grazed in the neigh- 
borhood ; and these were said to derive 
their supply of water from pools formed by 
a cluster of hot sulphureous springs at the 
farther extremity of the plain, which, with 
a loud noise, rise bubbling from the earth 
at a boiling temperature. Possessing mar- 
vellous medicinal properties, they, are be- 
lieved to be a panacea for every malady : 
but the tribe not being on terms with the 
Danakil, these thermal wells could not be 
visited, neither could water be obtained 
either for man or beast. A few Mudaito 
females, with their children, strolled into 
the camp to sell sheep, and stare at the 
Feringees ; but the ras el kafilah would 
scarcely permit them to be spoken to, and 
was in a nervous fidget until they departed. 
Avowing that these greasy dames had come 
for no other purpose than to spy out the 
nakedness of the land, and that the creeses 
of their liege lords would prove trouble- 
some during the night, he strictly inter- 
dicted all wandering beyond camp limits, 
and insisted upon the discharge of several 
volleys of musketry in addition to the car- 
tridge expended at guard-mounting, and at 
every relief of sentries. 

The sky having become gradually over- 
cast toward evening, a deluge, equally to 
be desired and dreaded, was deemed close 
at hand ; but the threatening appearance 
passed off with the hot blast of the shimal, 



accompanied by a cloud of dust, and fol- 
lowed by a close oppressive night. Skirting 
the Marie range to a tract thickly strewed 
with rounded masses of lava and basalt, the 
detritus from the adjacent hill, the road now 
wound over a volcanic ridge which divides 
the valley of Dullool from that of Amadoo, 
running exactly parallel to it. In this lat- 
ter the caravan halted on the 21st, about a 
mile from a large pool of rain-water, occu- 
pying a rocky nook formed by huge blocks 
of basalt. The stagnant green fluid was 
far more palatable than it looked, although 
troubled by a legion of horned cattle, asses, 
goats, and sheep, the property of the Ga- 
leyla Mudaito, who were encamped in great 
force in the neighborhood, and looked what 
they are said to be — most desperate villains. 
Altogether it was a bustling scene. 
Herdsmen shouted in every direction to 
their kine, whose sinister glances and low- 
ered heads proclaimed their dislike of the 
white intruders ; flocks of Somauii sheep, 
with incommodiously overgrown tails, 
swam about like otters to cool their heated 
fckins ; numbers of Bedouin damsels, after 
laving their own greasy persons, replenish- 
ed their dirty water-skins ; and one wrin- 
kled tld hag, in direct breach of the Moslem 
prejudge against " man's friend," was ab- 
solutely detected in the act of cleansing 
the rough « at of her own pet-dog. 

This pastoral scene of savage life, where 
the peaceful occupation of the shepherd 
contrasted strap.gely with the presence of 
spear and buckle.-, was about midday ex- 
changed for the tent A crowd of listless, 
tattooed savages, bearing very indifferent 
characters for honesty, soon swaggered in 
to see what they could ^>ick up, and pres- 
ently waxed so passing insolent, that it 
was deemed prudent to intimidate them by 
a display of rifle-practice. Emboldened 
by numbers, they had begun to question 
old Izhak regarding his right to conduct 
strangers through the country, without 
the permission, first duly obtained, of the 
" lords of the soil ;" but seeing the stones 
fly about in splinters, at two hundred and 
fifty yards, they were not long in decamp- 
ing, and gave no further annoyance. The 
Galeyla tribe of Mudaito, which still boasts 
of the most expert and notorious thieves 
in the country, is, as might be conjectured, 
on no very amicable terms with the Dana- 
kil ; and the very severe chastisement it 
received at the hands of Loheita ibn Ibra- 
him sufficiently accounted for the sudden 
desertion of the unattended ogre, who 
donned his seven-league boots, and strode 
back to his castle from Dawaylaka, after 



THE ASSA HIMERA— AUSSA. 



61 



he had pledged himself to accompany the 
party to the borders of the territory occu- 
pied by Mohammad Ali's clan. 

From Amadoo, Aussa was represented 
to be only one day's journey for a swift 
mule, and two for a caravan of laden ca- 
mels, the road branching off across Wady 
Arfa, and over the Jebel Oobnoo range, by 
which the extensive valley is bounded. 
At this point, moreover, had ceased the 
pretended influence of Mohammad ibn 
Mohammad, Sultan of Tajura, the utter 
futility of propitiating whom had long been 
sufficiently apparent. Although in the 
eyes of the uninitiated it was no difficult 
matter to invest this avaricious imbecile 
with supreme authority over a fiery deso- 
late tract, in most parts obviously unfitted 
for human location, his own immediate re- 
tainers did not now conceal that Mirsa 
Dukhan, and the Gollo mountains near the 
Salt Lake, bound even his nominal juris- 
diction. He is, in fact, sultan of the sul- 
try strand whereon his frail tenement is 
erected ; for the few lawless wanderers 
beyond, over whom he would assert su- 
premacy, are universally thieves and mur- 
derers, who disdain all fixed abode, 
disclaim all mortal control, and acknow- 
ledge their own unbridled inclinations as 
their only master. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

RED HOUSE OF MUDAITO. CHRONICLE OF 
THE CONQUEST OF AUSSA. 

Distinguished like the houses of York 
and Lancaster by their respective colors, 
"the white house" of Debenik-Woema, 
composed of various Adai'el clans, who, in 
time of need, rally under one standard, is 
banded against the Assa-himera, " the red 
house" of the Mudaito, with the same bit- 
ter feud and animosity which spread deso- 
lation through the fair domains of England, 
and poured out the best blood of her he- 
roic sons. Well would it be for the cause 
of humanity were these savage combatants 
animated also with the same noble and 
chivalrous feelings which, in days of yore, 
reigned paramount in the breast of the 
British knight, and met together in the 
open field of honorable contest. But the 
case is widely different indeed ; and under 
whatever circumstances the hated and 
hereditary foe may here be discovered, the 
unarmed bosom of the lone, sleeping, or un- 
suspecting wanderer, rarely fails to prove 
a sheath for the murderous knife of the 
assassin. 



Aussa, formerly an important town, was, 
less than a century ago, the capital and 
principal seat of the united tribes of Mudai- 
to, who extend thence to Ras Billool, and 
are represented to be countless as the hairs 
of a Danakil head. Regarded as the seat 
of wisdom and learning, and governed in 
the latter days of its strength, by Yoosuf 
Ali ibn Ajdahis, a brave and martial sul- 
tan, whose armory boasted of many match- 
locks, and of several small pieces of cannon, 
it long flourished in powerful independ- 
ence — a bright spot of beauty in a waste 
of barrenness. But the sun of its pros- 
perity at length set ; and the predatory 
hostilities long exercised toward the various 
united tribes of Adai'el, leading to a general 
invasion on the part of the Ado-himera, the 
prince was slain, the stronghold of the 
" red house" sacked, and its garrison put 
to the sword : nor in these degenerate 
days is this once important place more than 
an extensive encampment, whereat is held 
a perpetual fair, frequented by all the 
tribes of Danakil, Eesah, Somauli, and 
Mudaito. 

The site of Aussa, a wide-stretching 
valley, described to be from eight to ten 
days' journey across for a caravan, is 
hemmed in by lofty mountains, and fer- 
tilized in all of its extended quarters by 
the Lakes Guraaid, Abhibbab, Hilloo, and 
Dugod — the first situated a little to the 
eastward of the town, and the last by far the 
largest of the four. These vast stagnant 
basins in the plain receive the Abyssinian 
waters of the Hawash and its tributaries, 
in addition to the contributions of all the 
streams from Jebel Oobnoo and other col- 
lateral ranges — the abundance of fluid thus 
lost upon volcanic formation, so enriching 
the soil as to enable this district to produce 
wheat, juwarree, barley, Indian corn, pep- 
per, and tobacco, in quantities sufficient 
tor the supply of the entire coast. 

The Hawash may be conjectured to have 
experienced interruption in its course to 
the Bahr Assa.1 and Bay of Tajura, at the 
same period that volcanic agency divided 
the waters of the great Salt Lake from 
Goobut el Kharab. Miles around the 
wonted boundaries of each lagoon now 
become annually inundated during the 
spreading of the great freshes ; and as the 
floods, carried off by absorption and evap- 
oration, again recede, the soil is covered 
with a fertilizing sediment — a fat alluvial 
deposit, which, with little labor, yields an 
ample return. Even the lazy and listless 
Danakil, who neither sows nor reaps else- 
where, is here induced to turn agricultu- 
rist j but not a single acre is to be found 



62 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



under the plough, from the sea even to the 
mountains of Abyssinia — a distance ex- 
ceeding three hundred and fifty miles. 

Pastoral as well as agricultural pursuits 
engage the population of Aussa ; but while 
the cultivating portion of the inhabitants 
are permanent residents on the soil, the 
shepherds are annually driven away by the 
gad-fly, which attacks the flocks from the 
setting-in of the rainy season until the ter- 
mination of the fast of Ramzan, when the 
waters have again subsided, and the herds- 
man, descending from the mountains, re- 
turns to his occupation in the valley. An 
extensive commercial intercourse is, more- 
over, carried on with Tajiira. Salt from 
the Bahr Assal, blue calico, which is in 
high demand for the caps universally worn 
by the married Bedouin females, zinc, 
pewter, and brass or copper wire, used 
both for personal ornament, and for the 
decoration of weapons, are bartered for the 
produce of the luxuriant soil — some few 
caravans crossing the Hawash, and pur- 
suing their journey along the western bank 
to Dowwe, on the frontier of the Wollo 
Galia, in order to purchase slaves ; or stri- 
king into the main road at Amadoo, and 
so prosecuting their way to Shoa for a 
similar purpose. 

Mudai'to tribes occupy the entire plain 
of Aussa, but they are now divided into 
five distinct nations. The Assa-himera 
are under the rule of Humferi, a descend- 
ant of the ancient house of Ajdahis, who 
preserves the empty title of sultan, and 
resides at the decayed capital. Eastward 
are the Isse-hiraba, governed by Das Ali, 
an independent chief, and the Galeyla, un- 
der Daamer Ibrahim ; south are the Dar, 
who own allegiance to Akil Digger My- 
argi ; and west are the ferocious Koorha, 
under the sway of Yoosuf Aboo Bekr, who, 
also with the title of akil, resides at Alta, 
and wages war indiscriminately on both 
Assa-himera and Debenik-Woema. 

South-westward of the valley of Aussa, 
are the independent Adai'el tribes Hurruk 
Bodaito, over whom presides Gobuz Elin- 
cha, a powerful chieftain, who has espoused 
Leni, daughter of Birru Lubo, the prince 
of Argobba, and through whose territories 
lies the high caravan route to Dowwe, with 
which the traffic is considerable. On the 
north, the Mudaito are bounded by the dis- 
tinct nation styled Hirto, under the rule 
of Yingool Ali — Mohammadans, deriving 
their origin from the Arab invaders of the 
seventh century, and speaking a language 
not very dissimilar from the Ada'iel, who 
claim the same descent. 

Aussa is still the abode of all the Ulee- 



mas, Aukal, and learned doctors, for whom 
the Mudaito have ever been renowned ; 
but the present government is singularly 
constituted. The aged Sultan Humferi, 
son of Yoosuf Ali ibn Ajdahis, has retained 
with his high-sounding title the mere shad- 
ow of authority, which is in truth vested 
in Mohammad Ali, the vicegerent of the 
Debenik-Woema, appoinred by general 
suffrage from Tajiira. Residing at Kulloo, 
and ruling with an iron hand, he admits 
of little interference ; and, in all cases 
where disputes between the " red " and 
" white " houses of the proprietors of the 
soil and their invaders, terminate fatally to 
the latter, takes two lives for one, accord- 
ing to the immemorial observance in blood 
feuds. 

Ameer Sulaam, the wuzir of the Mu- 
dai'to, is head of all the sages ; and he is 
aided in the administration of justice by 
Hurrur Hassan, Teeoh, and Berbera or 
"Pepper" Ali, the latter so styled from 
the volubility of his sarcastic tongue. 
This triumvirate of venerable sheikhs, 
whose wisdom and learning is reputed to 
be kum el bahr, " profound as the sea," is 
referred to on all occasions where knotty 
points are at issue, whether among the 
Ado-himera or Mudai'to ; and even the 
Sultan of Tajiira was, on a late occasion, 
held bound to abide by their arbitration, 
relative to the projected marriage of his 
son to a bride from another clan of the 
" white house ;" a measure which was 
resisted, and which he was desirous of en- 
forcing. Yet a transit duty of fifty per 
cent, is levied by Mohammad ibn Moham- 
mad upon all exports made by the Mudaito, 
whereas ten per cent, only is exacted from 
the numerous Danakil tribes. 

" A large Arab force from Zeyla," ob- 
served Ibrahim Shehem Abli, who was well 
versed in the chronicles of Aussa, " was 
induced to join the Debenik-Woema in 
their invasion of the predatory Mudai'to 
hordes ; and overtures of capitulation hav- 
ing been made by Yoosuf Ali ibn Ajdahis, 
they were thrown off their guard. During 
the night the Woema, who knew with 
what villains they had to deal, bivouacked 
upon the heights of Dugodlee and Hy Tun- 
koma, where they rested safely enough. 
But the blockheads of Arabs choosing to 
sleep in the plain, the garrison took advan- 
tage of their folly to make a goom; and so 
cleverly was it managed, that, by Allah ! 
they succeeded in drawing their creeses 
across the throats of all save one." 

Nothing intimidated by this reverse, and 
joined by fresh allies from the coast, the 
Woema were not long in renewing the 



THE PLAINS OF TAKOOSHA. 



63 



attack ; and the whole of the Adaiel tribes 
who rally under the standard of " the white 
house," making common cause, the Mu- 
dai'to sustained a murderous defeat, when 
their stronghold, which had maintained its 
integrity unimpaired for so many centuries, 
fell at last into the hands of their heredi- 
tary foe. 

A long term of years elapsed, but the 
hearts of the scions of the 4i red house" 
still rankled under this disaster ; and, bent 
upon retaliation, the assembled clans, de- 
signing to plunder the now-decayed sea- 
port whence their Arab invaders had been 
furnished, made a rapid inroad into the 
country of the Eesah Somauli. Unpre- 
pared, the tribe fled before the host in dis- 
may, but presently recovering from the 
panic created by the sudden burst of war, 
rallied in great numbers, fell furiously 
upon the foe, and left not one marauding 
Mudai'to alive to tell the issue of the dis- 
astrous day. The " great battle," as this 
signal rout is still termed, was about three 
years ago fought within sight of Zeyla, on 
the plains of Takoosha, now white with 
the skeletons of a tribe. 

" Brave men are these Mudai'to," con- 
tinued the old warrior, playing carelessly 
with the hilt of his creese, which was sel- 
dom suffered to repose quietly in his gir- 
dle ; " but they are not to be compared 
with us. Hamdu-lillahy ' Praise be unto 
the Lord,' I slew their sheikh with my own 
hand ; and here is the identical scratch 
that I received in the scuffle. As for the 
Eesah," he concluded, " with their childish 
bows and arrows, they are sad cowards. 
One Dankali spear is an over-match for 
fifty of their best marksmen in a fair fight ; 
and I have myself dealt single-handed with 
six, although the villains came like thieves 
in the dark." 

Ibrahim Shehem was requested to re- 
concile this character with the issue of the 
great battle just recounted, wherein the 
despised tribe had so signalized itself. 
" That," quoth he of Tajiira, " was a das- 
tardly surprise ; and Wullah, had 1 been 
the invader with a handful of Danakil 
spearmen, there would have been another 
tale to tell." 

Has Ali, late sheikh of the cultivating 
portion of the Aussa population, some 
years since made an attempt to restore the 
exclusive rule to the Muda'ito, and to this 
end headed a conspiracy sworn upon the 
Koran to plough the field no more until 
the head of the Woema vicegerent should 
be exalted upon a pole at the city gate, 
and his body have been cast out to the 
nyenas. He was however waylaid and 



assassinated by Ibrahim Shehem Abli, who 
received a wound in the cheek. The 
numerous scars which adorned the dimin- 
utive person of this hero proclaimed him 
to have made one in many an affray ; and, 
if his own account might be believed, all 
were honorably gained. Nevertheless the 
singular aversion that he displayed to pass- 
ing certain watering-places in broad day- 
light, and his skulking port at Amadoo 
more especially, had tended not a little to 
confirm the disparaging anecdote mali- 
ciously narrated by his compatriots, rela- 
tive to the mode in which some of these 
much-prized distinctions had been acquired. 

The veteran Ali Arab had sat in gloomy 
silence during the early part of the conver- 
sation, but his light wicker cap started to 
the apex of his bald crown as he rose in 
wrath at the last vaunting words of the son 
of the Debeni. " Heed not the empty 
boast of that braggart," he exclaimed, with 
boiling indignation, forgetting his wonted 
taciturnity — "Brave as the lion's whelp 
are the hardy children of Yemen, and but 
for the cowardly desertion of their false 
allies there would have been a different 
issue to the fell night at Aussa. Do the 
Woema to this hour not pay tribute to 
Zeyla in acknowledgment of the assistance 
rendered] The event was written in the 
sealed volume of Fate. The decree of the 
Almighty was fulfilled. But, lest you 
should have believed the disparaging state- 
ments of this vain-glorious scorner, I will 
even recount the misfortunes of a cam- 
paign fraught with sad disaster to my 
kindred." 

Uttering these words, he led the way to 
his inclosure, reared of bales of the most 
costly wares which had been committed to 
his tried integrity ; and there, seated upon 
the rich shawls of Cachemire, or upon the 
choicest manufactures of the British loom, 
the party, provided each with a tiny cup of 
most potent coffee, gave ear in silence to 
the old man's tale, which in the two en- 
suing chapters shall be presented in the 
form that would appear best calculated to 
afford a picture of warfare in the Desert. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

ARAB MARCH OVER THE TEHAMA. 

All was bustle and confusion in the 
small sea-port town of Zeyla. Camels 
were screaming as the well-filled sacks 
were tied tightly upon the saddles. The 
idle portion of the population had assem- 
bled to admire the pride and pomp of war 



64 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Women were running to and fro with more 
than usual briskness, to deliver some for- 
gotten package to a body of men who stood 
under arms in the market-place ; and 
crowds streamed to join the group through 
the narrow bazaar, which had been lit up 
for the occasion, whence arose a confused 
hum of higgling and barter, as each last 
want was supplied by the merciless Hin- 
doo trader, on the credit of a successful 
return from the foray. 

A motley diversity prevailed in the age, 
dress, arms, accoutrements, and bearing 
of the assembled party ; but the turban and 
the checked kilt, the frequency of the long, 
ornamented matchlock, and the thousand 
strange-fashioned leathern pouches and 
pockets, dangling from every part of the 
person, proclaimed the presence of a body 
of warriors of the Faithful. And more 
than sufficient for the sultry climate was 
the cumbrous attire of the foreign merce- 
naries. Every color of the rainbow had 
been appropriated to their full varied vest- 
ments. Red, and yellow, and green, sur- 
mounted the dark, elf-like locks of the 
soldiers of Yemen ; knives and long heavy 
swords glittered in their rich shawl waist- 
cloths ; and the national cloak of Arabia, 
clasped across the tawny breast, floated 
gayly over each stalwart frame. 

Numerous mules stood ready saddled in 
the busy square, and many were the long 
provident bags and water-skins strapped 
behind each high wooden cantle. The 
band had not been engaged to act as cav- 
alry, but Arab troops are somewhat self- 
willed as to their tactics and style of move- 
ment, and at no time relish interference in 
any of those little private arrangements 
which they can afford for their personal 
comfort. 

The gray eye and the grisly beard of the 
veteran from Hejaz, and the fierce glance, 
and the long raven hair of the inhabitant 
of Medina, were exhibited together under 
the light of a blazing fire ; and it might 
have been observed that the strongest cur- 
rent of female attention set toward the 
spot where the youth were collected, ham- 
mering the hard bullets down their rusty 
matchlocks. 

" God is great 1" ejaculated a gayly-be- 
decked stripling, as he added an extra 
pinch of powder, for good luck, to the hand- 
ful already poured into his long culverin. 
" Bring me a lion, that he may feel the 
hands of the mighty, and Inshalldh ! if the 
leader of the expedition be of my mind, we 
shall not return empty-handed to have our 
beards laughed at by these fat kafirs from 
Hinde. Better were it to quaff at once the 



waters of immortality. But alas ! Amru ! 
the star was little on the ascendant when, 
forsaking the pleasant terraces and the 
cypress-waisted damsels of Mocha, thy 
stupid head dreamt of receiving two piastres 
a day from the treasury of the sheriffe, or 
of being cooped up with infidels in a perfect 
Jehdnnam upon earth." 

This speech was received with consider- 
able applause, for the re'is amru was well 
liked by his comrades in arms. Jokes 
passed freely among the youth, who were 
all in high good-humor at being released 
from the dull stupidity of a hot garrison; 
and each talked gayly of his future deeds 
of prowess, although as yet nothing had 
transpired as to the nature or object of the 
enterprise. 

But the veterans were crowded together 
in a mass, and their scowling downcast 
looks betokened little satisfaction in the 
coming march. A one-eyed ancient, who 
had witnessed as many fights as the re- 
maining.locks upon his wrinkled head, was 
employed in grinding a notch from his long 
sweeping sword, while he ever and anon 
gave vent to his spleen and displeasure. 
" No good can ever come of intercourse 
with these unbelieving savages," growled 
the old man to a fellow grumbler. " The 
skulking sons of the Dtbeni have been in 
close conference with the ameer for the 
greater part of the day ; and the youth 
Osman is not the leader to conduct a party 
of the Faithful among the deserts and the 
hills of this parched land. Blood will flow 
from the veins of these hot-headed strip- 
lings, crimson as the cloth which flaunts 
above their head-gear. Ay, and the dream 
of the last night can be now easily inter- 
preted. Listen to me," he muttered in 
lower accents : " I dreamt of the pleasant 
lands of Saba, and saw the sparkling wa- 
ters flowing over the bright green turf. 
The tribe of my fathers had assembled to- 
gether, an 1 the ' hail, welcome, may your 
arrival be happy,' came soothingly to my 
wearied ear ; but an impassable gulf yawn- 
ed at my feet, and the cold touch of the 
dread Azra'il startled me from my slum- 
bers. Nevertheless if we be fated to per- 
ish by the hand of the savage, it shall never 
be said that old Kasim All was the man to 
oppose his destiny." 

In good sooth the authorities had been 
sued for assistance by their friends the 
I Woema ; and as immunities, and privi- 
j leges, and certain per centage upon all 
slave caravans, were the inducements art- 
fully held out by the sagacious tribe, the 
proffered alliance had been eagerly accept- 
ed. The Woema deputation departed at 



ALI ARAB'S TALE. 



65 



sunset, after the ratification of the treaty ; 
and a few of their scouts were alone left 
to serve as guides through a country hith- 
erto untraversed by any Arab inhabitant 
of Zeyla. 

Three-quarters of the entire garrison 
were ordered for immediate duty. Gun- 
powder, balls, and coffee, had been handed 
out during the afternoon, together with a 
promise of arrears of pay on return ; and 
as the moon raised her broad disk above 
the still expanse of the Indian Ocean, the 
party remained grouped as above related, 
awaiting in the market-place the arrival of 
their leader. 

The impatient Osman, accompanied by 
the ameer and all the holy men of the town, 
shortly relieved them from suspense. His 
scarlet abba floated over his shoulders, and 
the gold of his head-dress sparkled in the 
beams of the pale orb, as he placed him- 
self at the head of the party to receive the 
" Salaam Aleikum " of his officers. 

The young chief had lately arrived from 
the opposite coast to take the military com- 
mand, but his proud and reserved bearing 
had gained neither the respect nor the good- 
will of his inferiors. Stories were whis- 
pered about that an evil star presided over 
his destiny, and that the settled gloom on 
his swarthy brow was caused by the con- 
tinued tissue of ill-luck which had hitherto 
blasted his every aspiration after fame. 

His quick ear had caught the murmur- 
ings of the discontented. " Dread not 
events unknown," he exclaimed, as he cast 
a withering glance over the group. " Be 
not down-hearted, for the fountain of the 
water of life is involved in obscurity. De- 
file not the spring of hope with the dust of 
despondency, for, praise be to God ! the 
creator of the universe, if ye walk even 
into the dens of the lion or the pard, they 
will not tear 'you save on the destined 
day." 

Then raising his voice Osman shouted 
aloud, " jSeero," move on in the name of 
the Prophet. " May Allah be with you ! 
May Allah watch over you !" solemnly 
chanted the chief moola as he waved the 
holy book in the air. The troops poured 
through the gateway, and sweeping slowly, 
like a thick cloud, along the face of the 
plain, were soon lost in the darkness of the 
desert. 

There be always some ardent spirits to 
raise the drooping mass ; and in the com- 
mencement of a march, as in the beginning 
of life, even the most downhearted feel a 
spark of hope as to the happy result. But 
after the first burst of enthusiasm was ex- 
pended, and the troops were fairly launched 



into the lone waste, the loose discourse and 
the merry laugh gradually failed, and in sad 
and gloomy silence they trod on for hours, 
sinking in the deep hot sand, or stumbling 
among the black blocks of lava which were 
thickly strewed over this tract of fire. 

The ominous bird of night flitted from 
left to right and hooted mournfully from a 
bare tree, as the gallant train swept past 
the last watering-place in the Waddy of 
Takoosha ; and many a " wullaV was pour- 
ed forth, as the herds of antelope bounded 
along the same evil and portentous track, 
as if pursued by the exulting demon of 
destruction. " Man proposes but God 
disposes," muttered those whose secret 
misgivings were heightened by these prog- 
nostics : the heart of the bravest quailed 
under the accumulation of unlucky omens, 
and all felt for the moment, that they were 
doomed men. 

Little order prevailed along the motley 
line. Mounted on his mule and wrapped 
in his own dark thoughts, Osman led the 
van, and a group of light-limbed Woema 
who clustered round the chief, pointed out 
the direction of march. No vestige was 
there of a pathway, and the dark ravine 
and the lone hill were passed in weary suc- 
cession, as each camel, and mule, and man 
on foot, struggled along during many hours 
of the hot night. A few pools of standing 
water left by a providential shower of rain 
were at length selected as the first halting- 
place, and, worn out and dispirited, the sons 
of Yemen, piling their heavy fire-arms, sank 
to sleep upon the bare ground. 

The tract of country extending from the 
coast to Ramudele is a bare and joyless 
desert, where water is to be met with only 
at long intervals, where little food is to be 
procured either for man or beast, and where 
the heat is like the breath of the glass fur- 
nace. But Arabs are accustomed to the 
arid regions of their own stony land, and 
as they feed like famished wolves when 
food is to be obtained, they can, like those 
gaunt animals, endure the extremity of 
fasting. The morning sun roused the party 
to renovated strength ; and as the news 
spread through the camp that the rich town 
of Aussa was the object of the enterprise, 
and that a large force of the W&ema had 
assembled to cooperate in the attack, no 
bounds were set upon the extravagant bra- 
vadoes uttered. Amru, as he strutted along 
with his turban placed jauntily upon his 
head, declared that even the gardens of 
Mocha and their rose-scented houris might 
be improved by a man of taste, if provided 
with the requisite means ; while the grum- 
bling old Kasim and his compeers, cheering 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



up for the moment, commenced a calcula- 
tion as to the probable gain to be derived 
from sundry captives, with which on their 
return they had resolved to fill the market. 

But although a degree of hilarity had 
been thus restored throughout the host, the 
black cloud still hung over the brow of its 
leader. No friendly footing was establish- 
ed with his followers ; no word of encour- 
agement proceeded from his lips. Orders 
and arrangements were given in the cold, 
calm tone of desperation, and a feeling of 
coming evil shook each sturdy frame, as he 
strode in moody silence to his accustomed 
station in the line of march. 

For seven weary days did they manfully 
toil through the blank dreary desert, where 
Nature had spread wide her plains of bar- 
renness, and where the image of utter deso- 
lation was but seldom disturbed by the 
appearance either of man or of vegetation. 
The heat of the day caused the lips to peel. 
The poisonous wind dried the marrow in 
the bone ; and at rare intervals indeed, some 
tiny encampment of the wandering Bud- 
doo alone cheered the site of the stagnant 
pool. A few camels dotted the unbroken 
expanse of the forbidding plain, and here 
and there a withered acacia threw her 
thorny limbs wildly into the hot atmo- 
sphere. 

The camp of the Woema was pitched 
at Ramudele, and far on either hand as 
the eye could compass, stretched along 
Che low belt of bushes which mark the 
course of the river Chekaito. A con- 
fused mass of fragile mats, and animals, 
and human beings, lay huddled together. 
From the midst of the disorderly array 
arose a thick forest of broad-headed spears ; 
and as the men clustered in hundreds to 
greet the arrival of their allies, the ferocity 
•of their appearance elicited universal ap- 
plause. The indomitable spirit of savage 
independence shone in their dark lustrous 
eyes ; and their lank, but well-moulded 
"figures, were surmounted by the white 
ostrich-feather drooping gracefully over 
the matted hair, the token of bloody prow- 
ess in the fight. 

In barbarous profusion an ample enter- 
tainment stood ready prepared. Large 
messes of meat and dishes of melted ghee 
were smoking in every quarter of the 
camp ; and after the welcome had been 
received from every hand, Osman retired 
with the sheikhs of the tribe to their tem- 
porary domicile, leaving the Arab host to 
resign themselves to enjoyment, and to 
rest after their long and weary march over 
the frightful Tehama. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

MASSACRE OF THE FIVE HUNDRED. 

Feasting and amusement wiled away 
the hours until the appointed day, when the 
necessary reinforcements having joined, 
the entire force moved hurriedly off to- 
ward the unsuspecting object of attack. 

On the third morning of their march 
the hills of Dugodlee were crossed, and 
the smiling valley of Aussa was seen 
peacefully stretched at the feet of the in- 
vaders. Nothing could exceed the beauty 
of this oasis in the desert, so strangely 
expanded between two gigantic moun- 
tains ; the crest of the one frowning black, 
broken, and abrupt, while the other rises 
in steep but gradual turfy acclivity to the 
very summit, whence rich indeed was the 
wide prospect displayed. 

Green fields extended far as the eye 
could see. Flocks quietly ranged among 
the grassy nooks, and four lakes, unruffled 
by a breeze, reflected back the Iris rays 
of the morning sun upon the broken sides 
of the wooded hills. Hemmed in by fan- 
tastic ranges, the river Ha wash threaded 
the upper portion of the long valley like 
a cord of silver, and rushing into the broad 
expanse of Lake Hilloo, at length found 
rest for its troubled waters in the deep, 
mysterious basin, from which no visible 
stream adds its tribute to the blue ocean. 

The city of Aussa was pleasantly sit- 
uated on the upper extremity of the lake, 
and its low, conical, thatched roofs were 
half concealed among the towering ver- 
dure of the shadowy trees. As the host 
crowned the opposite hill, herds of beasts, 
and crowds of human beings, streamed 
from every side through the stout hedge 
of thorns that encircled the wall, and the 
voice of the muezzin rising faintly from 
the distant mosque, summoned the inhab- 
itants to prayer in this most unlooked-for 
tribulation. 

Confident of success, and exulting in 
their own numbers, and in the potent fire- 
arms of five hundred bearded allies, the 
savage host rushed whooping down the 
hill, their spears erect, and their souls 
hungry for the prey. But no shout re- 
sponded from the silent town of the Mu- 
da'ito, and no weapon glittered in its 
defence. Already had the Woema form- 
ed in serried lines, and already were the 
eyes and the shields of the warriors agi- 
tated by those portentous revolutions 
which are the prelude to the fatal rush, 
when a portion of the thorn fence was 
quietly drawn aside, and a band of aged 



THE CAMP SURPRISED. 



67 



men stepped upon the intermediate plain. 
A green branch waved in their unarmed 
hands, and their venerable white beards 
flowed nearly to their girdles. The sages 
of Aussa, whose wisdom was " as the 
depths of the sea," and who engrossed all 
the learning and holiness of the land, were 
there congregated together. The preju- 
dice of the savage was aroused, and the 
presence of men acknowledged, to whom 
every dispute among the tribes had hither- 
to been referred, and whose decisions had 
been always most implicitly received. 
The cause of complaint, and the hope of 
plunder, were for the moment almost for- 
gotten, and every spear sank to the ground 
as sheikhs and akils advanced to the front 
to receive the message from the beleaguer- 
ed city. 

Assuming the posture of earnest en- 
tready, the elders of the Mudaito were 
not sparing of their oily words : " All 
ancient differences should be fully adjust- 
ed, and the Woema should depart to their 
own tents, loaded with the richest produce 
of Aussa as a free gift of its elders ; but 
the great conference could not be held 
until the morrow ; the chief, Yoosuf Ali, 
Was absent, and a swift messenger could 
scarcely reach him before nightfall. Would 
the Woema meanwhile destroy the seat of 
learning and of religion ? Would the 
son brandish the gory spear where their 
fathers were wont to fall prostrate in 
prayer ? If camels had been stolen, the 
thieves should be delivered over to punish- 
ment, and every point of dispute should 
be most satisfactorily arranged." 

The chiefs of the Woema withdrew in 
order to deliberate apart, and divers were 
the opinions given in the ensuing discus- 
sion. The fiery Arab urged an immediate 
attack, now that the enemy were unpre- 
pared and fully given into the hand of the 
spoiler ; but the words of mercy at length 
prevailed, and the terms having been ac- 
ceded to, the wily elders, as they took their 
departure, displayed features lighted with 
a grim smile of inward satisfaction. 

High raged the storm in the camp of the 
invading chiefs. Expressions of contempt 
were bandied back upon the term of cow- 
ard, with which Osman had taunted the 
Adaiel conclave. Swords and creeses were 
drawn, and stout adherents were not want- 
ing with spear and matchlock to support 
their respective leaders. The veteran 
sheikh nevertheless contrived to still the 
troubled waters. Commanding his clan to 
draw back, and be at rest, he succeeded in 
convincing the Arab that lie was not to be 
forgotten in the forthcoming division of the 



spoil. Finally the parties separated in sul- 
len mood — the Woema to ascend the hills 
of Hy Tunkoma, where they had resolved 
to rest among the rocky caverns, whereas 
the fearless sons of Arabia remained upon 
the open plain on which the angry dispute 
had taken place. 

Meanwhile the town was in a state of 
hot fermentation. The few warriors who 
were accidentally at home, inflamed by the 
speeches of their respected elders, prepared 
quietly for the most desperate resistance. 
Swift-footed messengers stole out ever and 
anon through cuts and passages in the 
hedge, with orders to call to the rescue 
every member of the tribe ; and the most 
fearful denunciations were prepared for 
any who should refuse aid in this the day 
of national distress. Onward over hill and 
dale sped the untiring scout. At his warn- 
ing voice the shepherd left his flock, and 
the hunter stayed his successful chase. 
Sheikhs and akils seized spear and shield, 
and with all disposable force obeyed the 
hasty summons. Every encampment join- 
ed its quota to the fast swelling host, now 
streaming toward the valley of the deep 
waters ; and long ere the moon raised her 
pale disk above the hills, full communica- 
tion had been held with the city, and every 
arrangement was thoroughly matured for 
the attack. 

Blinded by the feint of abject submis- 
sion, the doomed body of Arabs had en- 
camped upon the open plain. Little order 
or arrangement could be observed, and not 
a symptom was there of military vigilance. 
No watchful sentry paced his steady beat, 
nor had any disposition been attempted for 
safety or for defence. All had bivouacked 
on the spot where they happened to be 
standing, and after their appetites had been 
sufficiently appeased, the lazy partisans 
lay grouped together with their long pipes, 
talking over the pleasant hopes of the 
morrow, or uttering the scornful taunt on 
the coward folly of their infatuated allies. 
The song and the keen joke of their dis- 
tant country occupied the first hours of the 
evening, and then the greater portion sank 
to rest upon the green sward. 

But the slumbers of many were of a 
disturbed and fitful nature ; and at midnight 
old Kasim Ali, whose advice, though un- 
graciously given, was generally attended 
to, repaired to the light pall under which 
reposed his leader. Osman was still awake, 
and after listening to the words of the vet- 
eran, who predicted coming evil, the first 
orders were given. Guards having col- 
lected under arms, matches were lit, and 
some preparation attempted for defence. 



63 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



But the warning voice had come too late. 
The Mudaito host, crouching warily upon 
the ground, had glided like serpents along 
the dark plain till they had gained the re- 
quisite distance for the onset; and as if 
starting from the very bowels of the earth, 
a countless array showed suddenly a brist- 
ling front, not one hundred yards from the 
encampment. 

Short was the time allowed to awaken 
the drowsy soldiery. A hurried exclama- 
tion from the chief to stand like men, and 
a feeble cry from his followers in reply, 
was succeeded by the rush of the savages. 
Forward they came, carrying their broad 
spears erect, while their black ferocious 
eyes gleamed at the thoughts of blood, 
like the fiery orbs of the basilisk. A vol- 
ley from the matchlocks only checked their 
progress for a moment ; and as the firing 
ceased, there arose to heaven a wild un- 
earthly yell, which was closely followed 
by the fierce shouts of men in contention, 
and by all the sounds of terror, confusion, 
and despair. 

No walls or inclosures were there in 
that naked plain, or the sons of Ishmael, 
who well understand their defence, might 
have fought on more equal terms ; but 
overwhelmed by masses of the reckless 
foe, and hemmed in on every side by ten 
times their own number, the struggle was 
but the effort of individual desperation. 
Dropping shots had continued for some 
time in all quarters of the straggling en- 
campment, and Mudaito spear still clashed 
heavily upon Arab scimitar, when the war- 
cry of the Woema rose pealing among the 
cliffs. As the tramp of their footsteps was 
heard descending to the plain, a short res- - 
pile was allowed. The assailants with- 
drew from the murderous onslaught, and 
the fainting hearts of the survivors again 
bounded with hopes of life. But transient 
indeed were their expectations of succor 
and assistance. The wary eye of the 
W6ema had scanned, even in that uncer- 
tain light, the overpowering masse? of the 
foe that crowded the plain ; and suddenly 
wheeling 1 round the shoulder of the hill, 
they disappeared like a wreath of the 
morning mist. 

The Muda'ito meanwhile, like hungry 
wolves, hemming in the devoted party, 
awaited only the dawn of day to complete 
its destruction. But the remnant of the 
Arabs who had escaped now first found 
leisure to close their ranks ; and, taking 
up a position at the foot of the isolated 
Jebel Gilrmah, they resolved to sell their 
lives as dearly as possible. Osman, wound- 
ed and bleeding, was still alive ; himself, 



with Kasim Ali and about fifty men, being 
all that survived of the gallant five hun- 
dred who had marched from Zeyla. The 
excruciating pangs of thirst were added to 
the tortures of creese and spear-wound : 
and in this, their last extremity, the sol- 
emn prayer arose to the Prophet of the 
Faithful, as of men whose hours were 
numbered. 

As the day broke, Kasim volunteered to 
carry a message of capitulation to the sav- 
age army ; and reposing full confidence in 
the white cloth waving in the hand of the 
veteran, each anxious eye was strained in 
the direction of his footsteps. Received 
in moody silence by the Mutia'i'to band, a 
ferocious savage was about to drive a 
spear-blade through his unflinching breast, 
when the son of the sheikh bounded sud- 
denly to his side, and warding off the de- 
scending shaft, seized the hand of the old 
man, kissed it with every reverence, and 
addressed a few words to the tribe. In 
days gone by the youth Boorhan had been 
saved under the creese by the son of Ye- 
men, and gratitude, rarely found in the sav- 
age, now paid her outstanding debt. 

The veteran's overtures of surrender 
having been received, he turned again to- 
ward his comrades, but a fearful sight fell 
on his sickening gaze. Two large bodies 
of the enemy had, in the interim, stolen 
round the hill, and clustering upon the very 
edge, were already swarming unseen to the 
last attack. Vain were his frantic gestures 
to direct the attention of his doomed com- 
rades to the coming storm ; he was seized 
and pinioned in the iron grasp of a multi- 
tude, and the succeeding rush was as the 
burst of the overcharged thunder-cioud. 

And feeble was the defence made by 
men weary, and thirsty, and unprepared. 
With an appalling whoop, the triumphant 
savages soon joined the ranks of their 
sheikh, and not one turbaned head remain- 
ed visible above the wide plain. All had 
found a gory pillow in a far distant land. 
Creese and matchlock, mingled together, 
plentifully strewed the ground ; and clutch- 
ed in the cold hand of each grim warrior, 
lay the long Arab sword, dripping to the 
hilt in the blood of the assailant. 

The acacia still throws her scanty shade 
over the bones that whiten on the scene of 
I this conflict. Although of the same per- 
suasion as the invaders, the men of Aussa 
could neither forgive their most unprovok- 
ed attack, nor consign to a quiet resting- 
place the remains of the true believers. 
The severe loss they too had sustained, 
still keeps the wound festering, for well 
indeed in that fatal night had been upheld 



GANG OF HORSE STEALERS. 



6fr 



the character of the sturdy children of Ye- 
men. Taken by surprise and at every dis- 
advantage, each had fought on fiercely to 
the last ; and although broken matchlocks 
and rent shields dangle in the mosques as 
trophies of their defeat, many a Mudaito 
mother long bewailed the loss of a beloved 
son, and many a bereaved widow mourned 
the absence of her liege lord, who return- 
ed not from the valley of the deep waters 
of Aussa. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

FIALTJ, A DEN OF THIEVES IN THE WOEMA 
TERRITORIES. BARURUDDA AND KILLUL- 
LOO. 

After a march of three miles on the 
22nd, over a stony table-land thickly strew- 
ed with the never-ending basaltic boulders, 
the caravan entered the territory of the 
Danakil tribe Woema, under the uncle and 
father of Mohammad Ali. A desolate hol- 
low passed on the way, which appeared in 
the rainy season to form an extensive pond, 
was enlivened by four bee-hive-shaped 
wigwams, placed, as usual, on the site 
where large hot stones were most abun- 
dant, and tenanted by goatherds, whose 
numerous flocks were being driven forth 
to graze by the Bedouin females. Their 
supply of water is derived from a seques- 
tered pool, occupying a deep, narrow, pre- 
cipitous ravine, which abounds in the Hy- 
rax, and boasts of a few trees not dissimilar 
from the Casuarina. Bearing the eupho- 
nous title of Korandiidda, this gully wound 
at the foot of the high terrace selected 
for the encampment — another right drea- 
ry plain, covered with volcanic pebbles, 
among which trie dry yellow grass peeped 
out in scanty tufts. 

No traveller through the bleak barren 
country of the Ada'i'el, can fail to appreciate 
the simile of " the shadow of a rock in a 
weary land ;" for a tree is indeed a rare 
phenomenon — and when a few leafless 
branches do greet the eye, they are studi- 
ously shunned, upon the same principle that 
induces the savage to eschew the immedi- 
ate vicinity of water. A few straggling 
acacias occupied the valley of Fialoo, half 
a mile to the southward, which is the usual 
encamping ground, and here were large 
herds of cattle, eccentrically marked and 
brindled, and glorifying in superb horns 
raking gracefully from the brow. A fat ox 
was purchased without difficulty, together 
with a supply of fresh milk, which, if not 



improved by confinement in a gTeasy skin 
bag, proved nevertheless an extraordinary 
luxury. 

One of the retainers of Mohammad Ali 
was now dispatched to acquaint Ali Abi of 
the arrival of the kafilah. It had all along 
been promised that, after entering the ter- 
ritories of the old sheikh, every danger was 
to cease, but the goal now gained, the coun- 
try proved to be a perfect nest of hornets. 
The thieving propensities of the Galeyla 
Mudaito having been lately exercised upon 
the Woema, it had been resolved to inflict 
summary chastisement, and ragamuffins 
were collecting from all quarters, prepara- 
tory to a " goom." From morning till night 
the camp and tent were unceasingly 
thronged with scowling knaves, among 
whom were several of the Eesah — their 
heads decorated with white ostrich plumes 
in token of having recently slain an antag- 
onist in single combat, or more probably 
murdered some sleeping victim. 

Toward evening a gang of the Abli, 
whose chieftain is appropriately surnamed 
Jeroaa, or " the thief," made a desperate 
attempt to carry off the best horse, upon 
which they had strongly set their affec- 
tions ; but the rogues were fortunately ob- 
served by the lynx-eyed Kakoo, henchman 
to Mohammad Ali, just in time to admit of 
the animal being recovered. The war-cry 
caused all to fly to their arms ; blows were 
exchanged without any blood being spilled, 
although one of the Woema shields was per- 
forated by a well-launched spear ; and the 
ringleader of the horse-stealing gang, who 
had thus narrowly escaped a mortal feud, 
having been secured to a tree, was by his 
own tribe severely castigated on the spot. 

A dense cloud of dust rolling along from 
the north-eastward, closed the day. Re- 
volving within its own circumference, and 
advancing on a spiral axis, it burst in full 
force in the very centre of the camp. The 
tent fell on the first outpouring of its wrath, 
and the consistency being so dense as to 
render it impossible to keep the eyes open, 
the party were fain to take refuge beneath 
tarpaulins, and stretched upon the ground 
to listen with quick and difficult respiration, 
until the whirlwind had expended its vio- 
lence among chairs, tables, and bottles. A 
few drops of rain ushered in the night which 
was passed by a newly-entertained Bedouin 
guard in carousing upon the choice dates 
of the embassy, a bag of which had been 
unceremoniously put in requisition by the 
ras, " in order to keep the savages in good 
humor," or, in other words, to save them 
the trouble of stealing it ; and the musket 
announcing relief of sentries were discon- 



70 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tinued by request of the same authority, 
lest the smell of gunpowder might have a 
prejudicial effect upon the voracious appe- 
tites of the savages. 

Before dawn the chief of the nomade 
tribe Hy Somauli arriving with a hungry 
and dissatisfied retinue, a halt was pro- 
claimed, to the end that they also might be 
fed, pacified, and propitiated. The poten- 
tate was duly introduced by Izhak as a most 
particular friend, who had journeyed a long 
way for the express purpose of making the 
acquaintance of his English charge ; and 
a deep sense of the honor conferred having 
been expressed, it was ascertained that the 
secondary object of the visit was to inquire 
by whose authority so formidable a party of 
foreigners were being smuggled through 
the country, and how it happened that they 
were suffered to build houses wheresoever 
they thought proper ? — this last allusion 
having reference to the tent, which had 
again been pitched, and was very sapiently 
conjectured to be a permanent edifice. 

The " Kafir Feringees " therefore con- 
tinued to be objects of undiminished curi- 
osity during the whole also of this sultry 
day ; a greasy disorderly rabble, which oc- 
cupied the tent from an early hour, being 
continually reinforced by parties weary of 
the debate held immediately outside, which 
lasted until the going down of the sun. 
Each new visitor, after staring sufficiently 
at the white faces, invariably exclaimed 
"Nubeeo," "Holy Prophet!" a mark of 
undisguised disapprobation, which was fur- 
ther elicited by every occurrence that did 
not exactly coincide with his nice ideas of 
propriety, such as eating with a fork, keep- 
ing the head cool under a hat instead of 
under a pound of sheeps'-tail fat, or blow- 
ing the nose with a handkerchief in lieu of 
with the fingers. Paws were nevertheless 
incessantly thrust in at every door, accom- 
panied by reiterations of the Dankali verb 
" to give," used in the imperative mood ; 
the never-ending din of " Ba, Ba," being 
uncoupled with any noun designative of the 
commodity required — a proof that he who 
demanded was a ready recipient for any 
spare article that might be forthcoming. 

A long and tedious palaver,in which voices 
occasionally ran extremely high, at length 
terminated in a general uprising of the sen- 
ators. Izhak was seen curling his scanty 
side-locks in token of victory. The chief 
had become satisfied of the temporary na- 
ture of the tenement inhabited by the 
*' Christian dogs," after one or two of the 
savages had thrust a spear-blade through 
the canvas ; and the malcontents having 
to a man been sufficiently crammed with 



dates, coffee, and tobacco, finally took their 
departure, chuckling at the success of the 
foray, and having ingeniously contrived to 
turn their time to account by stealing one 
of the mules. 

Many significant glances had been ex- 
changed over portions of the baggage that 
had unavoidably been exposed ; but a night 
of redoubled vigilance was cut short by a 
summons to relinquish sleep and bedding 
at two in the morning, and a march of six- 
teen miles over a vast alluvial flat, con- 
ducted past the Bedouin station of Ulwiilli 
to Barurudda, on the plain of Kellali. The 
road led along the base of the low range 
of Jebel Eesah, through abundance of 
coarse grass, concealing lava pieces and 
volcanic detritus, the prospect being bound- 
ed by distant blue mountains, towering to 
the peak of Kuffal Ali. A korhaan rose at 
intervals, wild and noisy as his chattering 
kindred in the south ; but few other signs 
of animated nature enlivened the long, 
sultry march. In the gray of the morning, 
a solitary Bedouin horseman ambled past 
with some message to the savages at Am- 
adoo, and from him was obtained the dis- 
agreeable intelligence, which subsequently 
proved too true, that not a drop of water 
existed over the whole wide plain within a 
day's journey ; and that the station beyond 
was thronged with tribes, collected with 
their flocks and herds from all the country 
round, at this, the only oasis. 

After a hot, dusty day, the sky was again 
overcast, and sufficient rain fell to render 
every one wet and uncomfortable, without 
filling the pools, or checking the dire per- 
secutions of a host of cattle-ticks, which 
covered every part of the ground. Absence 
of water led to another midnight march ; 
and the moon affording little light, the 
road was for some time lost, though event- 
ually recovered, by the sagacity of a fe- 
male slave of Mohammad Ali's, when all 
the lords of the creation were at fault. This 
damsel, who always led the foremost string 
of camels, was one of those frolicsome 
productions of nature, which the wanton 
dame pawns on the world in her most 
laughing moods; and the appearance oi 
her daughter could scarcely fail to elicit the 
mirth of the most sedate beholder. A 
small round bullet head, furnished with a 
well-greased mop, and a pair of most brill- 
iant eyes, formed the apex of a figure, 
which, in all other respects, was that of 
the concentrated Amazon, exhibiting a 
system of globes, both before and behind, 
agitated by a tremulous vibration, as the 
short fat legs imparted progressive motion. 
A blue kerchief, tied jauntily over the 



CONGREGATED TRIBES. 



71 



head — ponderous wooden ear-rings, fash- 
ioned on the model of Chub's largest lock 
— a necklace of white beads, and a greasy 
leathern apron slung about the unwieldy 
hips, without any remarkable regard to 
decency — set off the corpulent charms of 
the good-natured Hasseinee, the exhibition 
of whose eccentricities in Europe, must 
infallibly have insured a fortune to the 
showman. 

The road continued to skirt the low 
Eesah range, for several miles,* to the ter- 
mination of the plain, which becomes grad- 
ually shut in by rounded hills, inclosing a 
dell choked with low thorns, and tenanted 
by the galla-fiela,} a strange species of an- 
telope, having a long, raking neck, which 
imparted the appearance of a lama in min- 
iature. As the day broke, flocks and herds 
were observed advancing from every quar- 
ter toward a common focus ; and on gain- 
ing the brow of the last hill overhanging 
the halting-ground, a confused lowing of 
beeves and bleating of sheep, arose from 
the deep ravine below, while the mountain 
sides were streaked with numberless white 
lines of cattle and goats, descending to- 
ward the water. 

Arriving at the Wady Killulloo, a most 
busy scene presented itself. Owing to the 
general want of water elsewhere through- 
out the country, vast numbers of flocks and 
herds had assembled from far and wide ; 
and they were tended by picturesque mem- 
bers of all the principal tribes of Danakil, 
composing the Debenik-Woema, as well 
as from the Eesah, the Muda'i'to, and their 
subordinate subdivisions. Dogs lay bask- 
ing on the grassy bank beside their loung- 
ing masters ; women, screaming to the 
utmost of their shrill voices, filled up their 
water-skins with an ink-black fluid, stirred 
to the consistency of mire, and redolent of 
pollution ; thousands of sheep, oxen, and 
goats, assembled in dense masses in and 
around the dark, deep, pools, were under- 
going separation by their respective own- 
ers, before being driven to pasture ; and, 
with the long files that ascended and de- 
scended the mountain-side in every direc- 
tion, imparted the bustling appearance of 
a great cattle fair. 

The temporary mat huts of all these 
nomade visitors who boasted of habitations, 
were erected at a distance on the table- 
land, to the southwestward of this import- 
ant wady, which occupies a rugged rocky 

* The reader who may not be thoroughly satisfied 
with miles and furlongs, as embodied in this narrative, 
js referred to the Appendix, where they will be found 
detailed in a tabular form. 

t »'• e. camel-goat. 



chasm, opening upon the Kellali plain, and, 
receiving the drainage of ail the southern 
portion of the Oobnoo range, disembogues 
during the rainy season into the lake at 
Aussa. Even during this, the hottest por- 
tion of the year, when the entire country 
elsewhere is dry, its rocky pools, embedded 
in soft limestone, tainted with sulphuretted 
hydrogen, and abounding in rushes and 
crocodiles, afford an inexhaustible supply, 
without which the flocks and herds of the 
entire arid districts by which it is sur- 
rounded, could not exist. 

To it the horses and mules of the em- 
bassy were indebted for a new lease of life, 
short though it proved to many. Two of 
the former and ■ eleven of the latter, had 
already been left to the hyenas, in addi- 
tion to the animal feloniously abstracted 
by the Hy Somauli, of the recovery of 
which Mohammad Ali affected to be san- 
guine. But although the pleasure of an- 
other meeting with the robber chief, where- 
upon he rested his delusive hopes, was 
shortly realized, and brought with it a train 
of concomitant inconvenience, no mule 
was ever restored. Not one of these petty 
Adaiel tribes are subject to that abject des- 
potism which controls the turbulent spirits 
of the more powerful African nations, and, 
bad as absolute power must ever be ac- 
knowledged, often tends to their ultimate 
improvement. The influence of a chief- 
tain is here little more than nominal. All 
affairs are decided in council by a majority 
of voices ; and, were it not for the fact, 
that, save during the existence of a com- 
mon danger, no component member of his 
clan works for other than individual ad- 
vantage, the wild and lawless community 
over whom he affects to preside, might in 
all respects be appropriately designated a 
republic. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

OMINOUS DEBATES AND INTOLERABLE DE- 
LAYS AT THE HALF-WAY STAGE. 

The second knot in the string of the 
tedious journey had been unloosed by ar- 
rival at Killulloo, which is considered 
exactly half way from the sea-coast to the 
frontier of Abyssinia. But although the 
worst portion of the road was now behind, 
the embassy was destined to waste many 
days of existence in this vile spot, amid 
annoying debates and discussions, most 
trying to the patience, which threatened to 
terminate so unpleasantly, as well nigh to 
result in the abandonment of the baggage, 



72 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



as affording the only prospect left of ever 
reaching the destination. 

From the very first moment of arrival, 
Izhak, whose sole object ever appeared to 
be to render himself disagreeable, devoted 
his talents and energies to the establish- 
ment of a misunderstanding, upon the fri- 
volous grounds of Mohammad Ali having 
been suffered to distribute a small quantity 
of tobacco, in order to get rid of some un- 
pleasant visitors. " Who gave that man 
tobacco?" he captiously vociferated, boun- 
cing into the tent as soon as it had been 
pitched; "this is a piece of interference 
with my prerogatives, as ras el kafilah, 
which cannot be borne." And the expla- 
nation afforded not proving at all to his 
satisfaction, he roundly declared his deter- 
mination of resenting the insult by throw- 
ing up the charge, and returning with all 
his paid retainers to Tajura. 

Mohammad Ali being now in the heart 
of his own country, and having rendered 
himself extremely useful on the road, 
while his venerable rival had been idle, 
seemed resolved to assert his claim to a 
share in the conduct of the caravan. Iz- 
hak as unflinchingly maintained his reso- 
lution, as brother to the Sultan of Tajura 
— a point whereon he greatly piqued him- 
self — to hold the reins exclusively in his 
own hands, or to decamp with the camels ; 
and the embassy, avowing themselves to 
be merely travellers through the country, 
desirous of conciliating all parties, and of 
interfering with none, maintained the 
strictest neutrality, and declined mixing 
at all in the dispute. 

It was already dusk when a visit was 
received from the three principal persons 
of the countless multitudes assembled. 
These were Ibrahim ibn Hameido, akil 
of the Hy Somauli, whose dominion ex- 
tends from Ramudele to Suggagedan ; and 
the uncle and father of Mahammad Ali — 
to wit, Wayess ibn Hagaio, who divides 
with his brother Hagaio Lad, the govern- 
ment of the Dermela, the Woema, the 
Rookhba, and the Midgan, collectively ex- 
tending from Suggagedan to Waramilli — 
and Hajji Ali Mohammad, a hoary patri- 
arch of most venerable appearance, com- 
monly styled Ali Abi. As tokens of good- 
will they brought oxen, sheep, and bags 
of sour milk ; but, owing to an obvious 
disinclination on the part of Izhak and his 
sulky colleagues to promote conversation, 
the interview was extremely stiff; and 
dates, coffee, and snuff having been duly 
handed round, the illustrious visitors, sig- 
nifying an intention of discussing certain 
topics of importance which had yet to be 



adjusted, abruptly departed after the pol- 
ished fashion of the country, without going 
through the ceremony of taking leave of 
their entertainers. 

A vast concourse of armed natives, 
members of all the various tribes assem- 
bled, had in the meantime convened imme- 
diately on the outskirts of the camp, where 
they continued during the whole night in 
a violent altercation, which periodical sup- 
plies of dates and tobacco proved quite in- 
adequate to allay. The discussion was 
shared by Izhak and by Mohammad Ali, 
with their respective partisans and re- 
tainers, and it continued during the whole 
of the next day ; meanwhile the tent being 
perpetually thronged with thieves and 
idlers, who purloined whatever fell in their 
way, and contrived frequent broils among 
themselves, which led to the drawing of 
creeses in the very centre of the encamp- 
ment. 

Throughout the whole of the ensuing 
night, and part of the day following, the 
wrangling among the tribes continued 
with little abatement or intermission, the 
litigants occasionally br:aking into small 
parties, to hold private kaldms, and after 
much mysterious whispering, again re- 
suming their seats in the general assem- 
bly. The question of precedence between 
the elders, already adverted to, and the 
propriety of suffering so large a party of 
armed Franks to proceed into Abyssinia, 
formed the principal subjects of discussion ; 
and the prevailing opinion on the latter 
question was, that all ought to be com- 
pelled to return, if not to be put to death, 
as unbelievers whose presence boded evil. 

But the opportunity was also taken 
of arbitrating old feuds and squabbles. 
Elopements were investigated and ar- 
ranged, and all disputes and quarrels of a 
private nature fully dilated upon and di- 
gested. Hundreds of ruffians thus sat 
from the rising up of the sun to the going 
down of the same, and throughout the live- 
long night, formed in a wide circle ; the 
chiefs and men of consequence in the 
centre, and the venerable Ali Abi, with 
thin floating snow-white locks, and highly 
ornamented weapons, seated as president 
of the council. During the lengthy dis- 
cussion of such a case, every spear stood 
erect in the hand of the warrior ; and on 
the decision being promulgated, the bright 
blades were lowered with one accord, a 
portion of the Koran was repeated, and at 
the termination of every verse, a general 
hum succeeding, the concurrence of all 
parties was chanted in a deep stern Ameen! 

Killulloo being the great mart between 



THE CONCLAVE— SLAVE CARAVAN. 



73 



the Bedouin tribes and the passing cara- 
vans, where the produce of their flocks is 
bartered for blue calico and other imports 
in demand, the news of the arrival of so 
large a party caused an inpouring from 
every quarter, and each day presented at 
the rendezvous some new group of exact- 
ing chiefs to be propitiated, with a fresh 
train of thieving followers to be fed and 
kept in good humor. Every greasy scoun- 
drel possessed a vote in the congress, to- 
gether with the inclination to render 
himself obnoxious, and the ability to add 
his humble mite toward the irksome de- 
tention ; and it therefore became requi- 
site to court popularity, and to canvass 
public favor as sedulously as at a general 
ejection for a seat in parliament. 

Ever and anon, a great noise and clamor, 
and the rushing, spear in hand, of all the 
idlers to one point, proclaimed a gentle 
passage of arms among the savages, of 
which, nine times out of ten, a woman was 
the subject — some gay Lothario having 
been recognized among the crowd by an 
injured husband. But no sooner had the 
cold steel flashed from the scabbard, than 
the bullies were secured by the bystanders, 
and being perfectly aufait at the business, 
they were easily restrained from doing 
each other any grievous bodily harm. In 
one scuffle indeed, a hot-headed fool who 
had with singular want of discretion en- 
gaged in a quarrel at too great a distance 
from his companions, got his thick wig 
somewhat unpleasantly shaved to the skull 
a hand's breadth or more — a fortunate oc- 
currence indeed, as it turned out, since 
the sight of blood had the instantaneous 
effect of closing the senatorial proceedings 
of the great conclave, which had been all 
night sitting in deliberation, so that its 
members were yawning in a state of con- 
siderable exhaustion and owlish stupefac- 
tion. Tolo, the quarrelsome little warrior 
who thus suddenly adjourned the sessions, 
lost three of his front teeth by the hands 
of the husband whom he had injured in 
more ways than one — but he retained pos- 
session of the inconstant lady, and pub- 
licly pledged himself, that on his way back 
from Habesh, he would take measures 
which should set the matter at rest for 
ever. 

The arrival from Shoa of a slave caravan 
in charge of the son of Abdool Rahman 
Sowahil, kazi of Tajura, added still fur- 
ther to the assembly in the persons of sev- 
eral hundred unfortunate children of all 
ages, who sought shelter from the fierce 
rays of the sun beneath the scanty trees 
which dotted the rugged basaltic valley of 



Killulloo, or lay huddled together beneath 
the hot shadow of an impending columnar 
rock. Each carried a small gourd as a 
water flagon, and, although generally in 
good spirits, some idea of the sufferings in 
store for these hapless beings could be 
formed by those who had just achieved the 
lower portion of the perilous and formida- 
ble road. 

" Have all my children arrived in safe- 
ty ?" inquired a corpulent old slave mer- 
chant who brought up the rear, tenderly 
accosting his mistress elect, and chucking 
her playfully under the chin, as she flew 
to hold the bridle of his mule ; " are all 
my children well ?" " Humdu-lillah" was 
the reply of the coy damsel, a really beau- 
tiful Christian from Gurague, with long 
raven tresses, and a very pensive expres- 
sion, who had been compelled to profess 
Islamism. Honored with the caresses of 
her fat and bigoted purchaser, the poor girl 
had been made responsible for a drove con- 
sisting of three-score little sister slaves, all 
distinguished like herself by a tassel of 
green beads in the braided hair, and who 
were now about to be counted by their 
"father." 

The son of the kazi having brought let- 
ters from Abyssinia, was shortly introduced 
by Hajji Kasim, own cousin to Izhak, and 
by far the most reasonable of the Tajura 
party. Being in the course of conversa- 
tion, quietly interrogated touching the 
cause of the ras el kafilah's continued irri- 
tation, he turned at once to his companion, 
and solemnly adjured him by the beard of 
ihe Prophet to answer conscientiously the 
following questions. " A head is a head, 
is it not, all the world over ?" " Of course," 
responded the descendant of the chief jus- 
tice, " there can be no disputing that fact" 
11 A tail, too, is a tail, Or I am much mis- 
taken," continued the logician, pursuing 
his thesis, — and this axiom was also un- 
hesitatingly admitted as beyond all contro- 
versy. " Well, then," resumed Kasim, 
whose intellects had been sharpened by a 
pilgrimage to the shrine at Medina ; " no 
kafilah can possess two heads ; and so 
long as Ali Mohammad, who is in fact the 
tail, continues these underhand attempts 
to usurp the authority vested in the brother 
of the Sultan of Tajura, our acknowledged 
head, matters can never go on smoothly." 

The old man was quietly reminded that 
the raw tobacco, which had given rise to 
so much heart-burning, bickering, and dis- 
pute, was the sole property of the British 
party, and that, with every deference to 
Izhak's supreme authority, some control 
might with propriety be conceded to the 



74 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



owners over their own wares ; but that as 
to any interference in the quarrel for the 
ras el kafilahship, the thing was clearly 
impossible — the business having already 
been fully discussed and arranged with due 
Danakil patience, by the sultan, in some 
twenty tedious conferences with the camel- 
owners and chiefs of Tajura. Izhak, who 
had been listening to this conversation with 
a dark scowl upon his brow, now entered 
as if by accident, twirling his scanty locks, 
and beaming with smiles ; proof of his re- 
storation to good humor being immediately 
afforded in the extension of his right hand, 
not to perform the usual ceremony of re- 
conciliation, but in view to the palm being 
filled with a sufficiency of Dr. Ruddiman's 
Irish blackguard, to admit of indulgence in 
his favorite recreation. 

Hopes were now reasonably entertained 
of an amicable adjustment, the real cause 
of dispute having meanwhile been traced 
to a jealousy respecting the reward which 
it was conjectured the leader of the cara- 
van would receive at the hands of his 
majesty of Shoa. Mohammad Ali had 
already been privately satisfied upon this 
point; and Izhak, in order to strengthen 
his own claim, falsely asserted himself to 
have received by the kazi's son a letter 
from Sahela Selassie, appointing the sul- 
tan of Tajura to the charge of all his Eu- 
ropean friends who might desire to visit 
Southern Abyssinia. But the congress 
still sat as usual. The dispute arranged 
to-night was renewed at morning's dawn, 
as though it had never formed the subject 
of deliberation ; and at a period when the 
near approach of rain in the higher regions, 
and the consequent flooding of the Ha- 
wash, rendered every hour one of the ut- 
most importance, not the slightest prospect 
of departure could be discovered, beyond 
the oft-repeated assurance, as often fol- 
lowed by disappointment- 1 —" Bad bokra In- 
shallah" " If it please God, the day after 
to-morrow." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

PERSECUTIONS OF THE GATHERED CLANS. 
PARTING INTERVIEW WITH THE AVARI- 
CIOUS CHIEFTAINS. 

Throughout this period of irksome de- 
tention, the thermometer stood daily at 
112°, and the temperature of the small 
tent, already sufficiently oppressive, was 
rendered doubly unbearable by the unceas- 
ing obtrusions of the wild, dirty, unman- 
nerly rabble who filled the ravine. Impe- 



riously demanding, not suing for snuff, 
beads, and tobacco, with paper whereon to 
write charms and spells for defence against 
evil spirits, swarms forced in their greasy 
persons from the first dawn of day to the 
mounting of the guard at night. Treating 
the pale-faced proprietors with the most 
marked insult and contumely, they spat 
upon the beds, excluded both air and light, 
and tainted the already close atmosphere 
with every abominable smell. Not one of 
the greasy crowd could be persuaded that 
the " cloth house," as the tent was denom- 
inated, had not been each day-reerected 
solely for his individual use and accommo- 
dation. Many attempted with their creeses 
to curtail the much coveted blue calico 
with which it was lined, and one lank ruf- 
fian, who was detected leisurely searching 
for a peg whereon to hang the skin and 
entrails of a newly killed he-goat, wrought 
himself into a positive fury on being civil- 
ly apprised that he must look for shambles 
elsewhere. 

Neither on the part of those composing 
the caravan was much privacy allowed 
during the sultry day, when seclusion was 
so highly desirable. Here, as throughout 
the march, offensive camel-drivers obtruded 
themselves without any regard either to 
time or season ; occupying the chairs, com- 
posing themselves to sleep in groups upon 
the beds or on the table ; and, while they 
picked their ears and teeth with the pens, 
or employed the knives in the pleasing 
operation of paring their filthy talons, 
spitting without remorse wheresoever they 
listed. Hating and despising a Frank with 
all the zeal of the bigot, they yet insisted 
upon shaking hands, on each intrusion, 
with the most scrupulous attention to 
Danakil etiquette, and with unhesitating 
alacrity devoured the biscuits and swal- 
lowed the coflee of the " Christian dogs." 

The despotic arrangements enforced by 
the ras el kafilah, although doubtless ma- 
terially conducive to his own personal 
convenience, and to that of his unaccom- 
modating followers, were, moreover, far 
from enhancing the comfort of the embas- 
sy. Boxes and bales, after having been 
unceremoniously dashed upon the ground, 
in utter disregard of remonstrance or of 
the fragile nature of the contents, had on 
this occasion, as on the termination of each 
march, been piled in a circle, each compo- 
nent heap consisting of three sides of a 
square, which, with the addition of a few 
mats thrown over the top, formed a habita- 
tion fully as commodious as a Dankali is 
ever accustomed to. Any attempt to dis- 
turb the economy of these tenements, by 



NIMRODS OF THE DESERT. 



75 



referring to the boxes employed in their 
construction, being regarded as an act of 
premeditated injury and insult, was stoutly 
resisted ; and as no portion of the baggage 
once removed to the tent, was ever received 
again without a battle, the materials of 
comfort or occupation were very rarely 
obtainable. In the selection of his load 
at Taj ura, every self-willed driver had 
suited his individual inclination, and as no 
persuasion could now induce him to de- 
posit any portion in a spot where it might 
be under surveillance, the provisions, 
placed beyond the reach of their owners, 
but accessible to every hungry knave, 
were perpetually pilfered and purloined. 

Universal somnolency on the part of the 
hired guard, had rendered two European 
sentries and an officer of the watch indis- 
pensable throughout the journey ; and in 
such a nest of robbers as Killulioo, the 
precaution was more than ever requi- 
site. In a fine climate, with a manly foe 
in front, a night watch is far from being a 
disagreeable duty. Here it was beyond all 
things annoying. Pacing up and down 
over the same retrodden ground, to keep 
the heavy eyelids on the stretch, in order 
to prevent the prowling Bedouin from pil- 
fering a bag of dates, or to detect the lurk- 
ing assassin, who in the dark creeps like a 
wild beast to perpetrate his dastardly deed, 
is but a scrry business ; and it was render- 
ed more particularly hateful from the rank 
offensive steam, which arose thick and hot 
from the small circle in which the beds 
were spread. Stifling exudations from the 
fetid mouths of one hundred and seventy 
camels that fed on the most disgusting 
rubbish, filled the suffocating atmosphere, 
which was impregnated with atoms still 
more vile from the rancid sheep's-tail fat, 
wherewith every Dankali is so liberally 
besmeared. 

Among the motley races congregated 
at this crowded watering-place, were the 
endless tribes of Adaiel, with broad-headed 
spear and shield of high antiquity — the 
coast of Somauli, armed with light lance 
and diminutive wrinkled buckler, scarcely 
larger than a biscuit — and his much dread- 
ed Eesah brother, carrying a long stout 
bow of the ancient form, with the double 
bend, and a quiver of poisoned arrows slung 
by a lion's tail. These latter were by far 
the most conspicuous, as well as the most 
agreeable figures. Their togas, although 
not less filthy than those of their neigh- 
bors, were thrown more gracefully over the 
brawny shoulder ; their picturesque wea- 
pons were borne with an ease that habit can 



the white trophy floated over their raven 
locks in token of bloody deeds, nearly all 
boasted of laughing, intelligent, and far 
from unpleasing countenances — a delight- 
ful relief at all events from the scowling 
downcast look of the exacting, perverse, and 
impracticable Danakil. 

The Woema, deeming unlawful the use 
of the bow in their own persons, maintain 
upward of one hundred Somauli archers, 
originally prisoners of war, who, although 
naturalized among their conquerors, retain 
their own language, and never intermarry. 
The hunting portion of the Eesah tribe, 
who are designated " Bone," usually carry 
a rude bamboo flute, the wild plaintive ca- 
dence of which is believed to charm the 
ostrich. Their hair, with the aid of suet, 
is often dressed in the figure of the " pud- 
ding" worn by children during their first 
lessons in the art of walking ; and deeply 
graven on the forehead of each are to be 
seen the masonic square and compasses. 
Universally skilled in woodcraft, the fe- 
rocious subjects of ibn Fara may be styled 
a nation of hunters, many being proprie- 
tors of trained ostriches, which graze du- 
ring the day with the flocks in the open 
plain, and have their legs hobbled at night, 
to preclude wandering. These gigantic 
birds are employed with great success in 
stalking wild animals, a trained donkey 
being also in constant use — lashed below 
the belly of which, the archer is carried 
among the unsuspecting herd, when his 
arrows, poisoned with the milk of the eu- 
phorbia antiquorum, deal death on every 
side. 

It is to the skill of these wild Nimrods 
that the Danakil are chiefly indebted for 
their shields, which are manufactured of 
the thick hide of the oryx, here styled the 
baeza. Two bucklers of a foot or eighteen 
inches in diameter, fetching each four tobes 
of blue calico, value two dollars, are ob- 
tained from the animal's fore hand; and 
from the hind quarters are cut others of 
smaller dimensions, such as are in use 
among the pastoral Somauli. Ostrich fea- 
thers are also principally obtained from the 
Eesah : the unsullied plumes, when strip- 
ped from the fleet-footed bird, being depos- 
ited for the convenience of carriage, in 
portions of the gullet cut to the proper 
length. The process pursued by these 
children of the desert in the preparation of 
smaller fowls for the table, if not strictly 
in accordance with the directions of Dr. 
Kitchner, can, at all events, claim ingenu- 
ity. From some superstitious motive, the 
feet are chopped off with the creese, and 



alone impart; and, notwithstanding that I the carcase, undivested of the entrails, hav- 
6* 



76 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ing been incased in wet clay, is thrust into 
a hot fire ; on removal whence the feathers 
are left adhering to the paste, and in culi- 
nary phraseology, " the bird is done." 

Crowds of Bedouin shepherdesses, and 
females belonging to all the various nomade 
tribes, were likewise assembled in the Kil- 
lulloo ravine, and the cry of " wiirkul, 
wiirkul!" "paper, paper !" was incessant 
on the part of the softer sex, who, with a 
licence unknown and a freedom unenjoyed 
by the daughters of Eve in other Moham- 
madan countries, were unremitting in their 
attendance and flirtations, without exciting 
the jealousy of their lords. From the lips 
of these damsels, " Mahisse, Mahisstni!" 
" JWanina tiniV " Good morrow !" "How 
do you do ?" came not disagreeably ; and 
trinkets such as they loved, being civilly 
solicited, instead of imperiously demanded, 
the applicants were rarely unsuccessful. 

Among those who boasted of the most 
feminine and attractive appearance, were 
the fair partner and sister of Mohammad 
Ali — their wedded and single state being 
as usual distinguishable, from the coif of 
blue calico which marks the wife, and by 
the long, uncovered, plaited locks of the 
maid. Assembling with many of the frail 
sisterhood at the doors of the tent, where 
numbers were usually lounging in careless 
attitudes, they one day demanded that the 
palm of beauty might be awarded. Un- 
willing to throw the apple of discord, the 
mirror was placed in their hands, that the 
coquettes might judge for themselves ; and 
after each in succession had started invol- 
untarily at the sight of her own greasy 
charms, and had defended the individual 
features whereof she was mistress, to the 
utmost of her eloquence and ability, the 
verdict was finally found in favor of the 
virgin daughter of the venerable old 
sheikh. 

Although the majority of the slaves im- 
ported with the caravan from Abyssinia, 
were of tender years, and many of them 
extremely pretty, they did not excite that 
interest which might have been anticipated. 
Children accustomed to sorry fare and to 
harsh treatment in their own country, they 
had very readily adapted themselves to the 
will of their new masters, whose obvious 
interest it was to keep them £at and in good 
spirits. With few exceptions, all were 
merry and light-hearted. Recovered from 
the fatigues of the long march, there was 
nothing but dancing, singing, and romp- 
ing ; and although many wore an air of 
melancholy, which forms a national char- 
acteristic, the little victims to a traffic so 
opposed to every principle of humanity, 



might rather have been conjectured to be 
proceeding on a party of pleasure, than 
bending their steps for ever from their na- 
tive land. 

A very limited number of Shankelas and 
a few natives of Zingero excepted, the 
whole consisted of Christians and heathens 
from Gurague, whence are obtained the 
" red Ethiopians " so much prized in Ara- 
bia. Kidnapping has consequently been 
there carried to an extent so frightful, as 
to impart the name of the unhappy prov- 
ince as a designation for slaves generally. 
Nearly all of both sexes, however, had al- 
ready become passive converts to the Mo- 
hammadan faith, and under the encoura- 
ging eye of the bigoted drivers, oaths by 
the false prophet resounded through the 
camp. Nine-tenths were females, varying 
in age from six to thirteen years, and all 
were clad alike in dirty cotton smocks of 
Abyssinian manufacture, adorned in some 
instances with cuffs of blue calico. Their 
long, dark tresses, elaborately greased, 
were plaited into thin cords, with tassels 
at the extremity, and interwoven about 
the head with a band of colored thread, to 
which was suspended a distinguishing 
cluster of cowry shells. Bead necklaces, 
pewter ear-rings, bracelets, and anklets, 
decorated the persons of the prettiest ; and 
these ornaments, forming the stock in hand 
of the trader, are invariably resumed on 
each bargain effected, in order to be trans- 
ferred to some victim hereafter to be pur- 
chased. 

Each 6lave was provided with a cruse 
of water, and had walked the entire dis- 
tance accomplished from the heart of Af- 
rica, with an endurance that, in children 
especially of such tender years, was truly 
surprising. A very few only, who had be- 
come weary or foot-sore, had been mount- 
ed on mules or camels, or provided with 
ox-hide sandals, which in some measure 
protected their tender feet against tl>e 
sharp lava boulders. The males, chiefly 
boys, had been intrusted with the charge 
of camels, and required no compulsion to 
render themselves useful ; and of the fe- 
males, some, who boasted personal charms, 
occupied the position of temporary mis- 
tresses. Four large handfuls of parched 
grain, comprising a mixture of wheat, 
maize, millet, and gram, formed the daily 
food of each ; and under the charge of the 
most intelligent, the respective droves slept 
huddled together on mats spread upon the 
ground. Some surly old drivers or wanton 
youths there were, who appeared to prefer 
the application of the wnip to the more 
gentle persuasion of words ; but in the tri- 






A PROMISING ASSASSIN. 



7* 



fling punishment inflicted, there was no- 
thing to remind the spectator of the horrors 
of slavery as witnessed in the western 
world. 

Few caravans ever traverse the deadly 
Adel plains without losing some slaves by 
the sultriness of the climate, or by the 
wanton spear of the adjacent hordes. 
Three of the fat merchant's children had 
been murdered shortly after leaving Abys- 
sinia ; and at his instigation, a foray was 
now concerting among the united warriors 
of the two caravans, having for its object 
the destruction of the neighboring Wur- 
boro Galla, whose families were to be 
swept into captivity. In this unprovoked 
slave-hunt, the embassy were strongly 
urged to take part ; but positively refusing 
the aid of British muskets in furtherance 
of any such object, the project was finally 
abandoned, more especially when a huge, 
brawny Shankela, the property of the ka- 
zi's son, was one morning discovered to 
have effected his escape during the night, 
doubtless with the design of carrying to 
the unsuspecting tribe a timely intimation 
of the gathering storm. 

Ominous kaldms, meanwhile, went on 
as usual, and fresh reinforcements arrived 
to take share therein. Villains of every 
degree continued to slide in as if hung 
upon wires, to stand cross-legged within 
the door of the tent until their curiosity 
was satisfied, and then to assume a seat 
in the congress. Hajji Abdallah and Elmi, 
the nephews of Ali Shermarki, listening 
by turns, brought hourly reports of the 
progress making toward final adjustment, 
and " Bokra, Inshdllah!" — "To-morrow, 
God willing !" — the now undeviating reply 
to every interrogatory relative to departure, 
had become a perfect by-word in every 
mouth. At length, on the 28th, it was 
pompously announced by the ras el ka.fi- 
lah, that every point at issue had, bond 
Jide, been satisfactorily arranged— that the 
water-skins were to be filled in the even- 
ing, before the flocks and herds should re- 
turn from pasture to trouble the pools — 
and that the journey was positively to be 
resumed betimes on the morrow. 

Upon this welcome assurance the three 
potent chieftains already named were again 
received, though with closed doors at their 
own request, in order that each might be 
invested with a turban and an honorary 
mantle of scarlet broadcloth, as rewards 
of their villainy. A most difficult point 
of etiquette had now to be overcome. The 
akil of the Hy Somauli, whose liege sub- 
jects had abstracted the mule from Fialoo, 
was the bosom friend and partisan of Izhak, 



while the illustrious personages who eat 
in regal dignity on either side were near 
and dear relatives of Mohammad Ali ; 
and the rivals respectively watching with 
jealous eye every act that could be con- 
strued into favor or partiality, would infal- 
libly have fired at any preference shown 
in the presentation of the enviable distinc- 
tions from the British government. The 
presents were therefore placed on a table 
immediately opposite to the respective 
parties, and thence simultaneously launch- 
ed with the same arm into the laps of the 
confronted recipients ; when each bundle, 
even to the envelope, being found the ex- 
act counterpart of the others, no grounds 
for jealousy or heart-burning could be de- 
vised. 

Misfortune had, during this interim, 
overtaken the " sahib el bayzah," the imp 
whose acquaintance was formed in the 
harbor of Tajura. Detected in the mis- 
chievous dissemination of evil tales re- 
specting his clansmen, and in circulating 
others of an equally discreditable tenden- 
cy, purely the fruit of his own fertile in- 
vention, affecting the throng of Killulloo, 
he had been taken to task by Abroo ibn 
Aboo Bekr, upon whom he drew his 
creese without further ado. The blood- 
thirsty little savage, who had not number- 
ed his fourteenth year, being seized, was 
tied to a tree, and most severely chastised. 
His passionate cries and shrieks under the 
lash had reached the tent during the inter- 
view now happily terminated, and no 
sooner was he taken down than he came 
blubbering to lodge his complaint. No 
satisfactory reply being elicited, the preco- 
cious youth unsheathed his knife, with 
which he viciously went through the form 
of disembowelling a prostrate foe. His 
feelings thus relieved, he dried his eyes, 
and, with a significant toss of the head, 
remarked as he walked away, " 'T is of 
no consequence, ' maphishj no importance 
whatever ; but by the grace of God I shall 
cut the throat of that cousin of mine, be- 
fore I am many days older !' 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

RENEWAL OF DEBATES BY IBRAHIM SHE- 
HEM ABLI, SURNAMED " THE DEVIL.'* 
FINAL ESCAPE TO WARAMILLI. 

Affairs nevertheless began now to as- 
sume a more desperate appearance than 
ever. The night of this day of good 



78 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tidings setting in with a storm of dust, 
followed by a heavy fall of rain, a party 
of Bedouins scoured unperceived through 
the camp, and in spite of every precaution 
swept off many articles of trifling value. 
Among the booty was a tub of sugar- 
candy, which, on the hue and cry being 
raised, the rogues were fain to abandon, 
together with the bedding of one of the 
escort. An incessant bombardment of 
large stones was kept up during the whole 
night from the thick underwood in the 
vicinity, directed as well against the sen- 
tries on duty, who paced the same weary 
ground for the ten thousandth time, as 
against the sleepers, one of whom, having 
emerged for a moment from the tarpaulin 
which the rain had rendered indispensable, 
received a severe contusion. 

Mohammad Ali, in a state of evident 
alarm, came as soon as the shower had 
abated, to say that there existed no pros- 
pect of the march being resumed in ac- 
cordance with the solemn promise of the 
ras el kafilah; and that feeling longer 
unable to answer for the lives of the party 
among such a congregation of lawless 
ruffians, he was desirous of conducting to 
Shoa on horseback all who felt so disposed, 
leaving the heavy baggage to be secured 
by his father, as far as circumstances 
would admit. Should matters unfortunately 
reach the decided crisis which there seem- 
ed every reason to apprehend, the son of 
Ali Abi was clearly the staff whereon to 
rely, his intercourse with Europeans hav- 
ing rendered his manners more frank and 
ingenuous than those of his selfish and 
shuffling rivals ; but although kaldms and 
altercations had again commenced, a 
sense of duty for the present precluded 
the adoption of his project. 

Morning of the 29th dawned upon no 
preparations for departure, and a fresh 
source of detention was indeed found to 
have arisen from a new claim for prece- 
dence put in by Ibrahim Shehem, the liti- 
gious member of the tribe of Abli, which 
ranks in the Danakil nation next to that of 
Adali, to which the brother of the reigning 
sultan belongs. Another tedious day of 
insult and debate ensued ; but the question 
was at length disposed of by the congress, 
who decided the fiery little warrior to hold 
place second to Izhak in the conduct of the 
kafilah, to the exclusion of Mohammad 
Ali, through whose tribe the party were 
now to pass. 

Again it was announced with due form- 
ality that all matters at issue were peace- 
ably and satisfactorily arranged, and seve- 
ral bales of blue calico, with quantities of 



snufT, tobacco and dates, having been dis- 
tributed among the weary disputants, they 
were finally induced to disperse, each car- 
rying his tobe folded in triangular form, and 
stuck, as if in triumph of his plunder, like 
a placard, at the end of a slit stick. Ibra- 
him ibn Hameido, akil of the Hy Somaull, 
left, at his departure, a clump of twenty 
bold spearmen to escort the embassy to 
the Hawash ; and after shaking hands with 
each of the European party, to the bene- 
diction " Fee amdn illah" bade the whole 
" Tarik is suldma" God speed upon the 
road. 

Ibrahim Shehem Abli, appropriately sur- 
named by his compatriots " Shaytan," or 
" The Evil One," carried a great soul un- 
der a very diminutive person ; and being 
a perfect Roostum in his own estimation, 
was one of those who honored the humble 
tent of the embassy with a much larger 
share of his presence than could have 
been desired. No sooner was it pitched 
than the. consequential little man strutted 
in as if by previous invitation, and, with 
an air that left no doubt as to the side on 
which he considered the obligation to lay, 
spread his mat in the least convenient po- 
sition that could have been selected to the 
lawful proprietors of the interior. By vir- 
tue of a claim which it had heretofore been 
difficult to understand, he considered him- 
self entitled to the receipt of rations in ad- 
dition to the handsome pecuniary remune- 
ration extorted at Taj ura, and to keep him 
out of mischief, he had daily obtained, in 
common with the ras el kafilah, two large 
handfuls of rice. 

Elated by his recent advancement, he 
this evening, after sleeping some hours on 
the table, suddenly bounced upon his legs, 
and assuming an attitude of mortal defi- 
ance, which his contemptible presence ren- 
dered truly diverting, exclaimed with the 
most exaggerated want of courtesy, " You 
Franks do n't know who I am, or you would 
treat me with more respect. I am Ibrahim 
Shehem Abli, who slew the chief of the 
Muda'i'to in single combat, and" — placing 
the hand of one of his audience in a frightful 
chasm of the skull, which afforded ample 
room for three fingers and a half — " here 
is the wound I received on that occasion. 
Do you conceive that I can always con- 
sent to receive the paltry pittance of rice 
with which I have hitherto been put off? 
Double the quantity immediately, and see 
that I have my proper share of dates and 
coffee too, or by the head of the Prophet 
we shall not long continue on our present 
friendly terms." 

An Arab of desperate fortunes, the an- 



THE MARCH RESUMED. 



79 



cestor of this pugnacious little hero, is 
said to have concealed himself, clothed in 
white robes, among the spreading branches 
of a tree ; and his partisans having induced 
the simple-minded villagers to repair to the 
spot in the dusk of evening, the intruder, 
on being discovered, was accosted defe- 
rentially as a spirit. Revealing himself 
under the character of a great Arabian 
warrior, who had slain his thousands in 
the battle, the man of valor was entreated 
to descend, and become one of the tribe ; 
but to this he would by no means consent 
until a pledge had been passed to recog- 
nize him as its chief, and assign as his 
own the whole extent of country visible 
from his elevated perch, which done, he 
was pleased to alight, and became the 
father of Braves. 'T is well for his pos- 
terity that the experiment had not been 
made in a later day, or the cotton robe 
would have been stripped from the shoul- 
der of the warrior, and a lifeless trunk 
been left beneath the tree to mark the in- 
terview. 

Throughout the sojourn of the embassy 
at Killulloo, Izhak had peremptorily insist- 
ed upon the tent being struck at sunset, 
lest the display of so much white and blue 
cloth might excite the cupidity of the Be- 
douins, and the preparations making to 
carry this despotic order into effect, may 
perhaps have been the means of ruffling 
the never very placid temper of his now 
second in command. The aversion of the 
ras el kafilah to anything like a habita- 
ble structure being well understood, the 
unhoused party amused itself at his ex- 
pense, by the erection of stone walls of 
considerable extent, as a shelter during the 
coming night of rain. " In the name of 
Allah," he exclaimed, blustering up to the 
spot, and kicking over a portion of the fa- 
bric with the pointed toe of the very san- 
dal that had suffered so severely during 
the disagreeable debate at Ambabo, — " in 
the name of Allah and his Prophet what is 
the meaning of all this ? We shall have 
our throats cut to a man if your people per- 
sist in this folly : there will be no rain to- 
night !" 

But the rain did fall in torrents, notwith- 
standing the assurance of the ras ; and al- 
though the ravine was now comparatively 
clear of ragamuffins, stones continued to 
rattle at intervals against the awning erect- 
ed for the shelter of the European sentries. 
That portion of the party off duty, steamed, 
after an hour's drenching, under thick 
•heavy tarpaulins, while the fluid glided un- 
heeded over the sleeping persons of the 
paid escort, who were well greased and 



oiled, like wild ducks prepared for a long 
flight. 

On the last day of the month, after near- 
ly a week's tedious detention in an insalu- 
brious and soul-depressing spot, surrounded 
by black basaltic rocks, where little forage 
could be obtained, where water, although 
abundant, was extremely bad, and where 
the persecutions of prying savages, from 
whom there was no escape, were unceas- 
ing, the embassy was again permitted to 
resume its march. Every hour had seemed 
an age, and " Galla gassetdi" the well- 
known cry to load, had therefore never been 
listened to with more heartfelt delight. 
Until after the rear of the string of camels 
left the ground, and Izhak was fairly seated 
on his mule, it was scarcely possible to be- 
lieve that some fresh cause of detention 
would not be discovered ; but the debates 
were at last over, and the litigants, weary 
of raising new objections, suffered their 
victims to advance in peace. 

The road wound up the Killulloo Wady, 
and thence over a barren rise strewed with 
obsidian, and with stones, the common pest 
of the country, to Waramilli. An interest- 
ing sight was presented in the line of march 
of a tribe proceeding in quest of water to 
the northward — a long line of dromedaries, 
horned cattle, oxen, sheep, and goats, in- 
terspersed by women and children, scantily 
clad in leathern petticoats, and laden with 
the rude date matting of portable wigwams, 
or the still ruder implements of household 
gear. While the females thus bore heavy 
burdens slung across their breasts or led 
the files of camels, upon which rocked the 
long, raking, ship-like ribs of the disman- 
tled cabin, the lazy lords sauntered ungal- 
lantly along, encumbered with naught save 
the equipment of spear and buckler ; the 
ferocious aspect of all giving ample presage 
of the intentions entertained toward any 
party less formidable than themselves. 

Total absence of water on the route 
usually pursued had determined the ras el 
kafilah, after much discussion and delibe- 
ration, to adopt the lower and shorter road, 
which, in consequence of the frequent fo- 
rays of the Galla, had been for some years 
closed to caravans. But notwithstanding 
that so much invaluable time had been lost 
at Killulloo under such provoking circum- 
stances, and that the march finally made 
thence fell short of seven miles, he again 
persisted in halting, thus affording to Hajji 
Ali Mohammad and Wayess ibn Hagaio 
an opportunity of rejoining with a party of 
troublesome Bedouins. The renewed dis- 
cussions, which did not fail to follow this 
influx of savages, together with the artful 



80 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



assurances given of the danger to be appre- 
hended on the road selected, had nearly 
prevailed upon the unstable Izhak to take 
the kafilah back to Killulloo, for the pur- 
pose of proceeding by the upper road ; but 
Ibrahim Shehem Abli, stepping forward in 
his new capacity, drew his creese, and per- 
forming sundry not-to-be-mistaken ges- 
tures, swore vehemently upon the sacred 
Koran to rip up the kelly of the very first 
blockhead who should attempt a retrograde 
step — his object doubtless being to thwart 
the views of Mohammad Ali, whose tribe, 
occupying the upper ground, would derive 
advantage from the transit of the embassy 
by that quarter. 

Waramilli is the usual encamping ground 
of a section of the Gibdosa Ada'iel, but their 
place was fortunately empty. Completely 
environed by low hills, it proved insuffera- 
bly hot ; and no water was obtainable nearer 
than Wady Killulloo, now distant more than 
two miles from the bivouac ; but the party 
were in some measure reconciled to deten- 
tion in this spot by the arrival from Tajura 
of a special messenger, bringing letters 
which bore very recent dates. Neverthe- 
less the Dankali to whose hands the packet 
had first been consigned had nearly perished 
from intense heat and want of water in his 
attempt to pass the Salt Lake ; and being 
compelled to relinquish his journey, had 
returned to the sea-port nearer dead than 
alive. 

Petty thefts without end were committed 
by the lawless rabble who had followed the 
caravan and located themselves in the im- 
mediate neighborhood. Ibrahim Shehem 
Abli, totally regardless of the character due 
to his exaltation, was detected in the very 
act of drawing a cloth with his foot over a 
pair of pistols, while he cleverly held the 
proprietor in conversation. His design was 
to obtain a reward for their restitution — a 
trick in common practice by the camel-dri- 
vers and hired escort ; and this was by no 
means the first exhibition of his own kna- 
very. But it was some consolation to per- 
ceive that, although the Franks were of 
course the principal sufferers, depredations 
were not altogether restricted to their pro- 
perty. Numerous shields and cloths were 
abstracted from too confident Danakil ; the 
ras el kafilah's sandals were purloined ; 
and at the going down of the sun, a procla- 
mation went forth through Ibrahim Bur- 
hanto, the common camp-crier, that Wayess 
ibn Haga'fo, akil of the Woema, having 
lost his spear, all parties possessing know- 
ledge of the nefarious transaction were re- 
quired to give information of the same to 
the proprietor, as they hoped to prosper ! 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

NAGA KOOMI. MEINHA-TOLLI. MADERA 
DUBBA, AND SULTELLI. 

Two windy nights, during which it blew 
a perfect hurricane, were passed in una- 
bated vigilance, owing to the number of 
ruffians lurking about the broken ground, 
the waters whereof tumble in the rainy 
season into the rugged chasm of Killulloo. 
At an early hour on the 2nd of July, a 
voice went through the camp, summoning 
the slothful camel-drivers to bestir them- 
selves ; and the incessant growling of their 
disturbed beasts, which arose in various 
keys of dissatisfaction from every part of 
the circle, followed by drowsy Danakil im- 
precations, and by the merciless dismant- 
ling of huts, to the destruction of bales 
and boxes, presently announced that the 
work of loading had duly commenced. 

A march of fifteen miles over a country 
more level than usual, though sufficiently 
rough and stony withal, led through the 
Doomi valley to Naga Koomi. An abutting 
prong of land, under which the road wound, 
was adorned with a cluster of bee-hive- 
shaped huts styled Koriddra, and at its base 
the balsamodendron myrrha grew abund- 
antly, — the aromatic branches furnishing 
every savage in the caravan with a new 
tooth-brush, to be carried in the scabbard 
of the creese. The encampment occu- 
pied a wide, dreary plain, bounded by the 
high mountain range of Jebel Feeoh ; and 
although water was said to exist in the 
neighborhood, it proved too distant to be 
accessible. 

The ras el kafilah, at whose hands the 
Franks experienced about the same amount 
of resp3ct and tolerance as a rich Jew in 
the days of Coeur de Lion, here imperious- 
ly demanded daily rations of rice and dates 
for the band of spearmen left as an escort 
by the akil of the Hy Somauli ; and on 
being informed that this very unreasona- 
ble request could not be complied with, in 
consequence of the tedious delays on the 
road having reduced the supplies so low 
as to be barely sufficient to last to Abys- 
sinia, his brow became suddenly overcast, 
he relapsed into his wonted ill-humor, re- 
jected a tendered sheep with indignation, 
and flung out of the tent in a passion. 

It rained heavily during the greater part 
of the night, and an early summons to 
rise found the party again drenched to the 
skin. The inclement weather had not by 
any means tended to restore Izhak to 
smiles ; and his mats having proved quite 
insufficient to preserve him from full par- 



WHISTLING FORBIDDEN. 



81 



ticipation in the pleasures of the noctur- 
nal bath, the effect upon his temper was 
but too manifest. " Do n 't whistle, do n 't 
whistle !" he exclaimed with a sneer to 
one of his charge, who was so amusing 
himself within hearing; "what are you 
whistling for? I have loaded the camels 
under a prayer from the sacred Koran and 
you are doing your best to break the spell, 
and call up gins by your whistling. 'La 
illah Wallah, wo Mohammad rasid illah ;' " 
" there is no God but God, and Mohammad 
is the Prophet of God." 

''■Fein tero J In the name of the three 
kaliphs where are you going to ]" again 
vociferated the testy old man, in a terrible 
passion, to the same luckless individual, 
who, with a loaded rifle in his hand, had 
now left the road in pursuit of an antelope. 
" ' Taal lienna ! ' ■ Come back, will you !' 
Wullah! you r ll be getting your throat cut 
presently by the Buddoos, and then I shall 
be asked what has become of you. Can 't 
you keep the road ? This ugly defile is 
named 'the place of lions,' and one of 
them will be eating you anon." 

Another march of fifteen miles brought 
the caravan to Meinha-tolli, where some 
hollows had been filled by the recent heavy 
fall of rain ; but large droves of horned 
cattle having soiled in them, the muddy 
water was so strongly tainted, as to be 
barely drinkable under any disguise. The 
country throughout bears signs of violent 
volcanic eruption of later times, which 
has covered one portion with lava, and an- 
other with ashes and cinders. At the out- 
set the road led over the usual basaltic 
ground, strewed with fragments of obsid- 
ian ; but after crossing Arnoot, a deep ra- 
vine choked with refreshing green bushes, 
in which the exhausted beasts obtained a 
most welcome supply of muddy water, the 
stony valleys gave place to sandy plains, 
clothed with short yellow grass, and inter- 
sected by low ranges of hills. 

One wide level expanse termed Azoroo., 
stretching at the foot of the peaked moun- 
tain Aiulloo, was pointed out in the dis- 
tance, as the scene of a signal victory 
gained about six years since by the Woema 
over their predatory foes, the Mudaito. 
Ths bones of upward of three thousand 
of the combatants which now whiten the 
sands, have caused the desertion of the 
best road by the superstitious Danakil. 
With the escort were many warriors who 
had taken part in this engagement, and 
they described the conflict, which com- 
menced in a night attack, to have raged, 
spear to spear, and shield to shield, through- 
out the entire of the following day, toward 



the close of which the advantage was 
gained, and the " red house" routed. 

A sheep being sent for as usual in the 
evening, from the flock belonging to the 
embassy, the ras el kafilah stoutly assert- 
ed that the whole had been transferred to 
himself for consumption by the escort of 
Hy Somauli, and although eventually com- 
pelled to relinquish one, he did so with an 
extremely bad grace. Thunder and light- 
ning, with severe squalls and heavy rain, 
again closed the day — and great confusion 
and discomfort was occasioned by a sud- 
den whirl of wind, followed by the fall 
upon the party of the saturated tent, from 
the wet folds of which escape was not 
easily effected. A dreary night succeed- 
ed. The watery moon shed but a dull and 
flitting light over the drenched camp ; and 
the pacing officer of the watch, after an 
hour's exposure to the pitiless hurricane, 
calling up his relief, threw himself with 
aching bones upon the inundated bed. 

" Did I not tell you what would be the 
consequence of your abominable whist- 
ling," grumbled old Izhak, the first thing 
in the morning ; " old Ali Arab is too sick 
to be moved, and one of my best camels 
has strayed, Allah knows where." The 
rope with which the legs of the lost animal 
had been fettered, wa3 meanwhile rolled 
betwixt his hands, and sundry cabalistic 
words having been muttered while the 
devil was dislodged by the process of spit- 
ting upon the cord at the termination of 
each spell, it was finally delivered over to 
the Dankali about to be sent on the quest, 
and he presently returned successful. 

Ahmed Mohammad, the messenger who 
had been dispatched from Taj^lra with an 
Arabic letter for Sahela Selassie, request- 
ing assistance on the road, returned during 
this delay. He had passed the night in a 
Bedouin encampment, the proximity of 
which had been betrayed by the barking 
of dogs at each discharge of the musket 
when the sentinel was relieved. The cou- 
rier brought advices to the embassy, and 
native letters for Izhak and Mohammad 
Ali. Owing to the jealousy of the frontier 
officers of Efat, he had been subjected to 
many days of needless detention, during 
which the king had led a distant military 
expedition ; and although compliments and 
assurances of welcome were not wanting, 
they were coupled with the unsatisfactory 
intelligence that the party must trust en- 
tirely to its own resources, as in the ab- 
sence of his majesty, no assistance what- 
ever could be rendered. 

The rainy season having now fairly set 
in, it was believed that the pools on the 



82 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



upper road would furnish a sufficient sup- 
ply of water, and the course was accord- 
ingly shaped toward it. Emerging" upon 
the extensive plain of Merihan, bounded to 
the westward by the lofty peaked range of 
Feeoh, the route skirted the Bundoora 
hills, thickly clothed with grass, and vary- 
ing in height from six hundred to a thou- 
sand feet. Wayess, the chief of the Woe- 
ma, formerly held his head-quarters in this 
neighborhood, at Hagai'o-dera-dubba ; but 
the Eesah Somauli making frequent in- 
roads, and at last sweeping offall the cattle 
of the tribe, it was abandoned. The hill 
ranges on both sides have sent lava streams 
almost to the middle of the plain, but gene- 
rally it is covered with a fine light-colored 
soil, strewn with volcanic ashes and small 
fragments of obsidian — the grass, improved 
by the recent showers, having partially ac- 
quired a greenish tint. A singular detach- 
ed hill composed of fresh-water limestone, 
contained a few impressions of small spiral 
shells, while the surrounding rocks exhibit 
the usual cellular basalt. 

No one could conceive that the rugged 
arid wastes whereon he trod, had ever in 
themselves been either productive or popu- 
lous. Saving the labors of the termites, 
exhibited in endless mounds of vast dimen- 
sions, no monument of industry redeems 
the inhospitable landscape ; yet these mea- 
sureless plains, no less than the barren 
mountain ranges so lately traversed, did 
formerly, as now they might, afford hordes 
of hardy soldiers, that under a bold leader, 
such as the mighty Graan, who in the six- 
teenth century unfurled the banner of the 
impostor, and at the head of a countless 
army overran and nearly destroyed the 
Ethiopic empire, were admirably adapted 
to possess themselves of the more fertile 
plains and provinces adjoining. What- 
ever may have been the virtues and en- 
dowments of these olden warriors, their 
posterity, like the dwellings they inhabit, 
are sufficiently rude and degenerate. 

Wady Bundoora, clothed in a thicket of 
verdant bushes, had been selected as the 
halting ground, and its appearance prom- 
ised a copious supply of water ; but every 
pool proved dry, and the march was there- 
fore continued to Madera dubba — a second 
and similar ravine, which was confidently 
expected to afford the desired element. 
Disappointment was, however, again in 
store, and the rain not having extended thus 
far, the usual reservoirs were referred to in 
vain. Worse than all, information was 
here received that not a drop of water would 
be found at the next station ; while, owing 
to the wear and tear of skins, added to the 



too confident anticipations indulged, bare 
ly a sufficient supply for even one day ac- 
companied the kafilah. 

It had been determined under these un- 
toward circumstances, to move on at mid- 
night ; but after an insufferably hot day, 
rain again interfered. Unfortunately, it 
did not fall in sufficient quantities to be of 
much utility ; a few pints caught in tar- 
paulins, which, with all available utensils, 
were placed for the reception of the pre- 
cious fluid, proving very inadequate to the 
wants of the thirsty party. At 3 a. m. the 
caravan advanced down the valley, with 
cool refreshing weather, and a fine moon 
shining brightly overhead. From the sum- 
mit of a tumulus of black lava, marking the 
point where the undulations of the Bun- 
doora hills trend toward the mountains of 
the Ittoo Galla, an extensive view was ob- 
tained with the dawning day, over a coun- 
try bearing the most extraordinary vol- 
canic character — huge craters on the one 
hand towering to the clouds, while on the 
other sank the wide valley of Kordeite, 
through which lay the high road to the 
desolate plains of Errur. 

A few pools of muddy rain water by the 
wayside were eagerly drained by the sink- 
ing cattle, but a deep ravine, bordered with 
green trees and bushes, was explored to no 
purpose ; and after crossing the fine open 
plain of Eyroluf, abounding in gazels and 
swine, the road led round the base of a 
remarkable cone, styled Jebel Helmund, 
which had long been in view. Isolated, 
and four hundred feet in height, with a 
crater opening to the northeastward, which 
would seem at no very remote period to 
have discontinued its eruption, it is sur- 
rounded by a broad belt of lava, some three 
miles in diameter. This has formed to- 
ward the plain a black scarped wall, rising 
from fifteen to twenty feet, of which the 
wooded crevices teemed with quail, par- 
tridges, and guinea-fowl, and were said to 
be so many great dens of lions. 

The sultry forenoon was already far ad- 
vanced, when the weary eye was refreshed 
by a glimpse of the verdant plain of Sul- 
telli, a perfectly level expanse, so ingeni- 
ously overgrown with pale green vegeta- 
tion, as to furnish an exact representation 
of a wide lake covered with floating duck- 
weed, around which numerous camels 
were busily browsing on the rank herbage. 
During the greater part of the year, this 
plain presents one vast and delightful 
sheet of water; but the fairy form of the 
light-footed gazel was presently seen, 
bounding over the delusive surface, and 
although clothed throughout with the most 



PROVIDENTIAL RAIN— MOUNT ABIDA. 



83 



tantalizing verdure, it yet proved perfectly 
dry. The camels were milch females, 
capable of subsisting for days, and even 
for weeks together, without drinking, 
while their milk serves to quench the 
thirst of their unwashed Bedouin attend- 
ants. Beedur, the chief of a section of the 
Debeni, who resides in this spot during 
the rainy season, had long since decamped 
with his clan to more distant pastures. 

Every hollow in the rich black soil, 
abounding with shells, was vainly explored ; 
and after a seventeen-mile march, the 
party, weary and thirsty, were fain to en- 
camp on the opposite side, and giving up 
the search as fruitless, to rest satisfied 
with the nauseous contents of water-skins 
filled at the putrid pools of Meinha-tolli — 
a second, and if possible, a worse edition 
of the impurities brewed at the Salt Lake. 
Both among men and cattle the utmost 
distress prevailed. A suffocating blast 
blew incessantly ; heat the most intense 
was reflected from the adjacent black 
rocks ; and nearly all of the horses and 
mules were so completely exhausted, that 
there appeared no prospect of dragging 
them other sixteen miles to the nearest 
reservoir. 

But toward midnight, the beneficent 
floodgates of heaven were providentially 
opened, and a violent storm bursting over 
the camp, in less then half an hour filled 
every ravine and hollow to overflowing, 
and afforded a plentiful and truly season- 
able, although transient supply. Tearing 
up their pickets from the saturated soil, 
the dying animals thrust into the turbid 
stream that rolled through the encamp- 
ment their hot noses, which, for two entire 
days and nights had been strangers to 
moisture, and filled their sunken flanks 
almost to bursting. Cackling troops of 
guinea-fowl flocked to the pools from the 
adjacent heights. Embankments were 
thrown up, and wells excavated ; and Eu- 
ropean, Danakil,and camp-follower; Chris- 
tian, Moslem, and Hindoo ; all drenched 
to the skin, falling together upon their 
knees, in the posture of thanksgiving, 
sucked down the first copious draught of 
palatable water that had been enjoyed 
since leaving Fialoo. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

FIELD OF EXTINCT VOLCANOES. OASIS OF 
YOOR ERAlN MAROO. 

Singular and interesting indeed is the 
wild scenery in the vicinity of the treach- 



erous oasis of Sultelli. A field of extinct 
volcanic cones, vomited forth out of the 
entrails of the earth, and encircled each 
by a black belt of vitrified lava, environs it 
on three sides ; and of these, Mount Abi- 
da, three thousand feet, in height, whose 
yawning cup, enveloped in clouds, stretches 
some two and a half miles in diameter, 
would seem to be the parent. Beyond, 
the still loftier crater of Aiulloo, the ancient 
landmark of the now decayed empire of 
Ethiopia, is visible in dim perspective ; 
and looming hazily in the extreme dis- 
tance, the great blue Abyssinian range to- 
ward which the steps of the toil-worn 
wayfarers were directed — now for the first 
time visible — arose in towering grandeur 
to the skies. 

Overwhelmed by violent subterranean 
convulsion and commotion, which, rever- 
sing the order of things, has again and 
again altered the former appearance, the 
face ot the country for miles around the 
base of the larger volcanoes, presents one 
sheet of lava. Activity would not appear 
to have extended much beyond the imme- 
diate neighborhood of each ; but there is 
a connection between the whole cluster 
visible in small lava streams and a vast 
quantity of volcanic debris, converted into 
humus, in the adjacent valleys. Yet it is 
by no means apparent, that these alone 
have contributed to form the present sur- 
face, the southeastern side of the field ter- 
minating in much older formation of wacke. 
Neither would any one of the craters ap- 
pear to have very lately poured out the 
fiery stream. Ibrahim Shehem Abli in- 
deed deposed with an oath to having seen 
Father Abida in flames about twelve years 
previously ; but, on further investigation, 
there seemed reason to believe that the 
conflagration he witnessed must have been 
confined to the long grass with which 
portions of the steep sides are clothed. 

The well-timed deluge of rain which 
fell during the night had been so eagerly 
drunk by the thirsty desert, that when the 
morning dawned, the only traces of the 
storm were presented in numberless chan- 
nels left by the torrent, with here and 
there a muddy pool, around which the 
guinea-fowl were still rallying in clamo- 
rous troops. Every portion of the road 
having been saturated, and rendered far 
too heavy for the jaded camels, advance 
was of necessity delayed until noon, by 
which time they had become sufficiently 
dry to admit of the resumption of the 
journey. A bare alluvial plain, skirting 
the base of the Koomi range, led to a few 
acacia-trees of a larger growth than had 



84 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



heretofore been seen. They occupied a 
hollow styled Ras Mittur, which is the 
point of union of the two roads from Killul- 
loo, and hence the caravan struck off 
across a grassy plain, abounding in herds 
of graceful mhorr. The course followed 
the eastern border of the field of truncated 
cones ; and in the fresh green hue of the 
bushes, with which the cindery tract is 
studded, was afforded abundant proof of 
the fertility of its decomposed lava. 

Passing a cluster of Bedouin huts, whose 
inmates were watching their grazing herds 
of milch camels, the road next threaded a 
narrow belt of verdant jungle. This sud- 
denly opened into the wide plain of Moolu, 
studded in every direction with flocks of 
sheep and goats, assembled from all parts 
of the country round ; and in a deep hol- 
low in the very centre lay the attraction — 
the oasis of Yoor Era'in Maroo, a noble 
sheet of water, surrounded by a belt of 
hillocks, and measuring, during even this 
season of drought, a full mile in diameter. 
It was indeed a sight most refreshing to 
the eye. Troops of water-fowl of various 
plumage sailed over its glassy surface. 
Birds chattered among the autumnal 
branches of the numerous trees, whose 
tall stems, half immersed, rose thickly in 
the centre, and the cool waters of the ba- 
sin afforded to the weary and travel-stained 
pilgrims the first unlimited supply of pure 
liquid that had been revelled in since bid- 
ding ad:eu to the shores of India. 

In so sultry a land, where, throughout 
the desert and forbidding plain, Nature has 
dispensed the first necessary of life with a 
most niggard hand, those pools which have 
not a constant supply of running water, 
soon become adulterated by various de- 
compositions of organic and inorganic 
matter. Wacke cannot resist any long 
exposure, and hence fluid in contact with 
it imbibes oxide of iron and muriate of 
soda ; while flocks and herds, corrupting 
the element in a still more offensive man- 
ner, not only impart a fetid taste and smell, 
but stir up the deposited mud, which emits 
a volume of sulphuretted hydrogen. Yoor 
Era'in Maroo was free from all these im- 
purities, and its reservoir affords a never- 
failing supply ; but the surrounding coun- 
try is said during the wet season to be ex- 
tremely unhealthy, violent storms and in- 
cessant rain compelling the shepherds to 
abandon the plains and wadies, and retreat 
with their flocks to the neighboring moun- 
tains. 

From Waramilli to Moolu, the country 
is chiefly occupied by the sub-tribes of 
Debeni, under the chiefs Beedur and Boo 



Bekr Sumbhool, the latter of whom usually 
resides at Hamoosa, and the former at 
Doomi or Sultelli. Although not always 
to be trusted, these wanderers appear un- 
der a friendly garb ; but the lion-hearted 
guides and escort, with Izhak at their head, 
had, from the first moment of leaving Kil- 
lulloo, been doing their utmost to impress 
upon the minds of their audience the ex- 
treme danger to be apprehended on this 
portion of the road, from the various wild 
hordes now adjacent, whom they painted 
as perfect dare-devils. 

" The Galla are pagans," quoth Ibrahim 
Shehem Abli with a bigoted sneer, " and, 
uncircumcised knaves that they are, never 
heard either of Allah or the Holy Prophet ; 
and as for the Muda'i'to, although nomi- 
nally Moslems, they have little more re- 
ligion than their infidel neighbors. But 
wait until I get an opportunity," he added, 
with a caper and a sardonic grin, as he 
unsheathed his creese for the purpose of 
going through the figwre of disembowel- 
ment, " only wut until I find an opportu- 
nity, and, Inshdllah, we shall square ac- 
counts." 

Many were the harrowing tales that 
had been called to mind by the first loom 
of the Abyssinian mountains, touching the 
toil-worn traveller, who, having surmount- 
ed all the perils and privations of the road, 
and arrived within sight of the promised 
land, had been cut off at the very last step 
toward the goal. Perpetual strife is waged 
betwixt the Galla and Muda'ito, and the 
plain of Moolu forming a sort of neutral 
ground between the countries inhabited by 
the rival clans, it proves one continual 
scene of foray and bloodshed. The heath- 
en, watching like hawks from the tops of 
trees ?nd eminences, pounce, whenever 
opportunity offers, upon the flocks and 
herds of the true believers : retaliation is 
not slow to follow, and thus the feud is 
well and incessantly sustained. 

During the latter part of the march, the 
ras el kafilah was nearly thrown into hys- 
terics by the sudden desertion of one of 
his charge, who, in defiance of the close 
thraldom, which rendered all more like 
prisoners than freemen, had made up his 
mind to dine that night upon venison, and 
had accordingly taken up arms against 
the alluring herds of sleek and timid an- 
telope that, with white discs on their crup- 
pers, bounded in all directions before the 
advancing string of camels. Repeated in- 
terrogatories of " Fein toro ?" " whither 
are you going?" were launched in a 
commanding tone of voice after the truant, 
without eliciting the smallest attention or 



THE HAUNCH OF VENISON. 



85 



reply. A shot was fired — a fat buck fell — 
and the successful Nimrod, dismounting, 
proceeded to secure the spoils ; an opera- 
tion which brought from their occupation 
in the adjacent pasture, two ancient Be- 
douin crones, in wrinkles and leathern 
aprons, to be spectators of the dissection. 

Izhak was old and captious, and not see- 
ing very clearly, the apparition was too 
much for his shattered nerves. "Allah, 
Allah!" he peevishly exclaimed, seizing 
his broad-headed spear from the hand of 
his henchman, and violently kicking the 
flanks of his jaded mule toward the spot ; 
" merciful Providence, what childish folly 
is this ? Is the commander a babe, that 
he thus trifles with the safety of the cara- 
van ? I did fancy that he possessed some 
sense, but this is positively the act of a 
madman. Look at those Buddoos ; they 
will cut his throat immediately, and then 
we shall have a pretty blood feud, involv- 
ing the lives of half-a-dozen Danakil." 

Despite of all the twaddling old block- 
head could do to prevent it, the haunch 
was nevertheless brought in, and its ap- 
pearance hailed with considerable delight. 
But it might almost as well have been 
abandoned to the vultures of the air, since 
the Persian cook, who had taken alarm at 
the menace extended to Quilp in the pros- 
ecution of his kennel duties, peremptorily 
refused to convert the venison into kabdbs, 
upon the grounds that the knife of the 
true believer had not passed across the 
throat of the victim. 

" Whose dog is Hajji Abdallah Kurma- 
ni ?" he exclaimed, in tones that might 
have been believed to issue from a dilapi- 
dated bagpipe ; " whose dog is he, I re- 
peat," throwing the haunch upon the 
ground, " that he should be invited to deal 
with any such abomination ? Allah and 
his Prophet defend us, but the Hajji would 
as soon think of polluting himself with the 
touch of the unclean beast." 

This spirited public declaration was by 
the Moslem audience received with the 
rapturous applause it claimed ; and the 
worthy pilgrim, fairly carried away by the 
over-boiling of his virtuous indignation, 
was actually proceeding to wreak his last 
vengeance upon the venison, when arbi- 
trary measures where adopted, which re- 
sulted in the imposition of twenty-four 
hours' fast in excess of the many inflicted 
by the apostle whose shrine he had visited 
at the holy city. 

Now the Hajji bore a striking personal 
resemblance to Hudibras ; and like that 
hero, regarded discretion as being the bet- 
ter part of valor. Since the melancholy 



disaster at Goongoonteh, he had encum- 
bered himself with a musket and a modi- 
cum of cartridges ; but even by his warm- 
est admirers it must be confessed that there 
had never in his demeanor been the slight- 
est indication of a design to throw himself 
away by rash exposure. Entertaining the 
highest respect for himself, the prudent son 
of Iran was rarely heard to speak of Hajj i 
Abdallah, save in the respectful third per- 
son singular. The words of Ibrahim She- 
hem had sunk deep into his soul ; and 
after the affair of the venison, it was not a 
little diverting to hear him, in his wonted 
croaking accents, apostrophize the folly 
and infatuation which had prompted him 
to brave the wilds of unexplored Africa. 

" Hajji Abdallah was never taxed with 
lack of common sense," he exclaimed, 
musingly, in self-reproach. " Allah knows 
there may be many greater blockheads in 
this sublunary world, than his servant 
Hajji. Is it not wonderful that the chief 
cook to Khwajah Mohammad Rahim Khan 
Shirazi, and master, too, of recipes for no 
fewer than nine-and-thirty pildos, should 
have proven himself such an ass, such a 
son of a burnt father, as voluntarily to get 
in the way of abuse, for refusing to kabdb 
unhallowed meat, which died without the 
knife or the Bismillah ; and, worse still, 
in the way of having his own throat cut 
every minute of each day and night, by 
these blood-thirsty infidels ? • La houl wil- 
lah koowut illdh billah all ul-azeem? ' there 
is no power nor virtue save in God.' What 
true believer, in the fair province of Kur- 
man, would ever have suspected Hajji Ab- 
dallah of bringing his beard to so vile a 
market ?" 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

MENACE OF THE BAR MUDA1TO. MOOLU 
ZUGHlR, AND BURDUDDA. 

Boo Bekr Sumbhool and Datah Mo- 
hammad, co-chiefs of that section of the 
Debeni styled Sidi Habroo, shortly sneak- 
ed into the camp at the head of an appro- 
priate retinue of ruffians ; and having been 
duly propitiated with tobacco and blue cal- 
ico, deputed a son of the latter to represent 
the tribe, as an earnest of the black mail 
having been levied. Mohammad Ali pro- 
posed under these circumstances to halt a 
day, both in order to profit by the first op- 
portunity enjoyed of purifying raiment ; 
and, which was of still higher importance, 
to refresh the way-worn beasts. But the ras 
was in such dire alarm of the Bedouins and' 



86 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Galla, that he had been with the utmost 
difficulty prevailed upon to encamp near 
the water; and no persuasion could now 
elicit his consent to tarry. Columns of 
smoke which arose high and dense from 
the country in advance, did not tend to 
diminish his apprehensions. A shadowy- 
human figure stealing along the summit 
of the gloomy cliffs which overhung the 
camp, redoubled his mental perturbation ; 
and anathemizing Moolu, as the most dan- 
gerous nest of thieves and cut-throats along 
the entire road, he would that minute have 
resumed the march in the dead of night, 
had not heavy rain compelled him to bite 
his nails until a late hour the following 
forenoon, by which time the camel furni- 
ture had become dry. 

But the event proved that there were on 
this occasion some grounds for uneasiness. 
During the process of loading, three mount- 
ed Mudaito scouts, wild-looking beings, 
rode into camp in a suspicious manner ; 
and immediately after moving out of the 
bed of the hollow, whence the road led 
over an extensive plain, covered with low 
shrubby undergrowth, the ras el kafilah, 
who momentarily waxed more fidgety and 
excited, called a general halt, and assumed 
his shield and brass-mounted spear. 

" Look well to your weapons," he ob- 
served, with a truly commander-in-chief- 
like delivery, * and let all the proprietors 
of fire-arms lead the van with myself. 
Two thousand of the Dar Mudaito are out 
on a foray against the Galla of the neigh- 
boring hills ; and I have received certain 
intelligence that they purpose this day to 
fall upon the caravan. May Allah protect 
his servants in the coming strife !" 

Suitable defensive preparations were 
made without delay, and the camels form- 
ed ten deep, to admit of the whole line 
being enfiladed by rifle-balls ; while the 
Danakil and Hy Somauli escort, with loins 
girded for the fight, brought up the rear. 
Scarcely had these arrangements been com- 
pleted, when a band of fifty warriors were 
descried advancing in a compact body over 
the brow of an adjacent eminence. Car- 
rying their round bucklers on the left arm, 
and bristling their bright spears, they 
pressed rapidly toward the front of the line, 
" on hostile deeds intent." Out to meet 
them sprang the fiery little champion 
Ibrahim Shehem, who panted to flesh his 
creese in the body of another Mudaito, 
and twenty stout warriors, casting off" their 
upper garments, to give freedom to their 
limbs, were not far behind him. The car- 
avan remained motionless to watch the 
event; and the formidable line of rifles 



fronted the foe, who no sooner perceived 
the muzzles bearing directly on their pha- 
lanx, than they lowered their spears to de- 
mand a parley ; and described themselves 
to be en route from Jebel Abida to join 
their clansmen, who were gathering at the 
waters of Maroo, preparatory to a "goom" 
or onslaught, upon their hereditary ene- 
mies, the Alia and Ittoo Galla. 

The march was resumed immediately 
upon this banditti passing quietly to the 
rear, and Ibrahim Shehem Abli relapsed 
into his wonted composure ; but the foot- 
prints of several other parties being shortly 
afterward discovered, the beaten track was 
abandoned altogether, in order, if possible, 
to avoid meeting the marauders in number, 
when the plunder of so rich a caravan 
would doubtless have been essayed. An 
advance guard reconnoitered the country 
round from the summits of trees and ter- 
mite cones, which alone admitted of an 
uninterrupted view over the thick verdant 
bushes, that clothed the entire face of the 
plain. These were interspersed with rich 
yellow grass, swarming with antelope, 
hares, bustard, and florikin ; while fine 
cedar-like camel-thorns stretched their 
long arms over troops of pintadoes, coveys 
of partridges, and spur-fowl. Not a trig- 
ger was suffered to be drawn, lest the re- 
port should attract to the spot the much- 
dreaded Mudaito ; but although hundreds 
of warriors might have been ambushed in 
the dense covert unperceived, it was safely 
traversed without further hostile demon- 
stration ; and the country becoming gradu- 
ally more and more open, the view extend- 
ed to the fine peaked range near Afrubba, 
inhabited by the Ittoo Galla — war-hawks 
of the mountains, who are distinguished 
for their sanguinary ferocity. 

A cloud of dust in the extreme distance 
being believed to prognosticate a rush of 
these wild horsemen, the caravan was 
again halted ere it had proceeded far over 
the open plain ; but the magnifying pow- 
ers of a pocket-telescope converting the 
objects of alarm into a troop of scudding 
ostriches, Izhak's confidence once more 
returned. The residue of the march lay 
over cracked and blackened soil, from 
which the vegetation had been burnt the 
preceding day, the embers still smoulder- 
ing in various directions, although the 
columns of smoke had ceased to ascend. 

Neither fuel nor water could be dis- 
covered at the ground selected for the 
bivouac, but a small supply of the latter 
requisite was obtained on the way, from a 
muddy brook trickling over the charred 
surface of the soil, and filling the i^pidF" 



SHEIKH OTHMAN— WATERS OF MOOLU. 



87 



cracks and crevices on its progress toward 
the lower ground. This strange pheno- 
menon arose from the wady at Moolu 
Zughir, near Afrubba, some miles to the 
southward, having been filled to overflow- 
ing by the recent heavy rain. Moolu 
Tani, or " the other Moolu," afforded a 
most alluring spot of bright green vege- 
tation just sprouting from the rich soil 
which here abounds, and among it the 
cattle luxuriated until dark. Sundry in- 
vocations were now performed with horrid 
yells, to enable one of the savages to di- 
vine the coming of rain ; but a night 
passed in vigilance by sentinels posted on 
ant-hills, which afforded an uninterrupted 
view over the surrounding plain, gave 
place to dawn without any molestation 
from thunder-storm, Galla, orMuda'ito. 

Betimes in the morning the march was 
resumed across an alluvial plain, which a 
few days later in the season would proba- 
bly have presented a swamp impassable to 
camels ; but no difficulties were now ex- 
perienced, and the caravan passed merrily 
on toward a conspicuous barn-shaped hill, 
which had been visible for many miles. 
At its base, among sundry other cairns, 
stood a mound of loose stones, encircled 
by a thorn fence, and almost concealed 
under the forest of withered boughs that 
decked every part. Beneath this grotto 
reposed the sainted bones of Othman, the 
celebrated Tukha'iel sheikh of days long 
gone. * Amid prayers and ejaculations in 
honor of the departed, according to the 
custom still prevalent in the southern 
parts of continental Europe, each warrior 
of the Bedouin escort first in order, and 
then the drivers as they passed, having 
previously plucked from some adjacent 
tree a branch of verdant misletoe, adorn- 
ed the venerated pile ; and long ere the 
arrival of the last camel, it had exchanged 
its sober autumnal garb for the bright 
green mantle of spring. 

Picturesque clumps of magnificent ca- 
mel-thorns of ancient growth here stud- 
ded the face of the landscape, and, covered 
with golden blossoms, perfumed the entire 
atmosphere. The myrrh-tree flourished 
on the hill-side, and the " garsee " was 
first found under a load of fruit resembling 
the " leechee." The bright crimson pulp 
possesses an agreeable acidity, and the 
kernel that it envelopes pleases the Dana- 
kil in a mess of sheep's-tail fat. No wood 
had hitherto been seen sufficiently dense 
to invite the elephant ; but in this covert 
the giant evidently existed ; and the oryx, 
appropriately styled " Aboo el kurovn," 
" the father of horns," ranged in consid- 



erable numbers ; the half-devoured car- 
case of one which had been slain the pre- 
ceding night, attesting the presence also 
of the " king of beasts." 

The agility of the Adaiel in reclaiming 
a refractory camel, although often wit- 
nessed with admiration, had never been 
more prominently exhibited than during 
this march. One of the most skittish and 
unmanageable animals of the whole hun- 
dred and seventy, had very judiciously 
been selected by Izhak for a large chest 
containing medical stores, and the halter 
was usually held by a gentle slave girl, 
whom it was the delight of the sahib el 
bayzah to cuff and maltreat. Taking a 
sudden whim into its head, the restive 
beast, after the performance of sundry pre- 
liminary plunges to ascertain if the load 
were firm, dashed off the road, galloped 
over the feeble maid, and, smashing her 
water-gourd into a thousand fragments, 
roaring and bellowing, pursued its head- 
long career across the stony plain. Phials 
and bottles were undergoing a most de- 
structive discipline, when a fleet-footed 
savage, who was in hot pursuit, and had 
already twice turned the fugitive, darting 
across its orbit, abruptly terminated these 
gratuitous and uncouth gambols by a sud- 
den twitch of the nose-rope, which brought 
owner, dromedary, and medicine-chest sim- 
ultaneously to the earth, with a crash that 
sounded ominously enough, although not 
the slightest injury was sustained by either. 

Meanwhile the caravan had reached 
Burdudda, where a large pool of dirty rain- 
water extended strong inducements to en- 
camp, and again led to a violent altercation 
between the authorities. Apprehensive of 
misunderstandings with the Bedouin shep- 
herds in the vicinity, Izhak had sapiently 
resolved to proceed some miles farther to 
a waterless station, while Mohammad 
Ali, insisting that the kafilah should halt, 
commenced the work of unloading. The 
camels of either party were for some time 
divided ; but the ras, after trying the strata- 
gem of advance without shaking his rival's 
resolution, finally yielded up the point 
with a bad grace, and all set up their staff. 

The outline of the highlands of Abys- 
sinia, which had been first indistinctly 
visible from Sultelli, now stood out in bold 
relief; and to the southward the view was 
bounded by the lofty hills of the Afrubba, 
Parsa, and Azboti Galla, where coffee 
grows wild in abundance. An interme- 
diate extensive prospect is obtained over 
the thickly- wooded Moolu plain, stretching 
some thirty miles in the direction of Errur. 
This latter is the residence of the old 



88 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



sheikh Hajji Ali Mohammad, and the 
head-quarters of the Debeni, who take 
hereditary share in the waters of the val- 
ley with their brethren the Woema. It 
forms, moreover, a place of resort for every 
wandering vagabond in the surrounding 
country who possesses a sheep, a goat, or 
an ox, or has the ability and the inclina- 
tion to assert his privilege of erecting a 
temporary cabin ; and thus the recurrence 
of each season of drought, compelling the 
abandonment of less favored pastures, 
pours in its migratory swarm to swell the 
more permanent muster upon the sultry 
plains of Errur, and to create the strife 
inseparable from a gathering of these law- 
less hordes. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

A TALE OF THE PLAINS OF ERRUR.* 

Aylia was the comeliest of the dark- 
eyed daughters of the desert. Sixteen 
tropical summers had already ripened a 
form modelled in that exquisite perfection 
which Nature is wont to bestow upon her 
wildest works, and the native symmetry of 
the sylph-like maid was yet unblemished 
by any of those barbarous improvements 
wherein her nation delight. Her spark- 
ling eye, fringed with long silken lashes, 
in brilliancy eclipsed the pet gazel that 
ever bounded by her side ; and the grace- 
ful gambols of the sportive fawn would 
seem to have been inspired by the fairy 
footstep of its blooming mistress. Luxu- 
riant hair fell in elf-like tresses over her 
ebon shoulder. Teeth of ivory whiteness 
were revealed by a radiant smile that ever 
played over her animated features ; and 
few indeed of her virgin charms were 
veiled under the folds of the slender dra- 
pery that belongs to the Bedouin shep- 
herdess. 

The maid tended her father's flocks in 
the Vale of Errur, which forms a constant 
scene of predatory incursion on the part of 
the ruthless savages that hover round the 
border. When least expected, the Galla 
war-hawks of the adjacent mountains were 
wont to stoop from their rocky fastnesses, 
and to sweep away the riches of the 
Woema. The treacherous Eesah, although 
ready to extend the hand which should 
have denoted friendship, was nothing loath 



* The following narrative, recounted by one of the 
Woema escort, although necessarily enlarged, is as 
strictly literal as the embodiment of the subject would 
admit ; and it will convey to the English reader a bet- 
ter picture of life in the desert than could be painted in 
a less connected form. 



to the appropriation of other men's chat- 
tels ; and throughout all the nomade Adel 
hordes, whose tents were erected during 
the more sultry months, the feud and the 
desultory skirmish favored the inroads of 
the foe. Among the surrounding clans, 
even her own tribe was not notorious for 
its honesty, and by frequent depredations 
abroad, it invited the foray of reprisal. 
Thus the brawl and the mortal encounter 
would follow the stillness of indolent ex- 
istence with a rapidity not less startling 
than frequent, and none knew what the 
next hour might bring forth. 

But fear had no place in the breast of 
the daughter of old Ali. Nursed in the 
lap of strife, the Bedouin blood of her rov- 
ing sire coursed through her young veins, 
and she pursued her Arcadian occupation 
beneath the spreading boughs of the vene- 
rable acacia, chanting to her gazel the wild 
ditty that revealed the thraldom of her 
heart, or listening to the bleat of her black- 
faced lambs from the Hejaz. Often had 
the shrill war-whoop rung through the 
wild valley, and the rush of the gathering 
warriors who flew to answer the summons, 
arrested her plaintive song, but only lately 
had it caused her to spring to her feet with 
a bosom throbbing audibly ; and now she 
would sigh as she sank again upon the 
smooth bank that formed her favorite seat, 
for the swain for whom her soft eyes had 
been strained across the flickering desert 
was not among the number of those that 
had swept past, and she knew not why, 
nor whither he had gone. 

Many were the ardent suitors who had 
wooed the hand of the blooming Aylia, and 
often-times had she been sought from her 
avaricious father, who viewed the still ex- 
panding attractions of his daughter as a 
certain source of increase to his ill-gotten 
and idolized wealth. None, however, had 
yet been able to produce the price set upon 
the damsel's charms, neither had any pos- 
sessed an advocate in her eloquence. Her 
heart had already been tacitly relinquished, 
but her hand she knew to be in the gift of 
her sire, and therefore not her own to be- 
stow. 

Ambeesa it was who had silently gained 
this ascendency over the green affections 
of the maid. The milch goats of Irripa, 
his mother, were by her driven daily to 
pasture, and his wigwam was within 
spear's throw of her own. The twain had 
known each other from earliest infancy, 
for they came upon the world's stage in 
the self-same hour. They had feasted and 
they had played together as children ; and 
now that their young hearts had become 



TALE OF THE PLAINS OF ERRUR. 



89 



entwined, it was his wont to accompany 
the nymph into the vale, where they would 
hold converse the livelong day. The vapid 
language of the savage admits of but a 
limited embodiment of the softer passions ; 
but the simple courtship of the unculti- 
vated was ably sustained. Aylia felt the 
force of her charms when she saw the 
warrior grasp the spear and the shield, 
without which no Bedouin ever crosses 
the threshold of his cabin — in order that 
he might chase the fawn that she had 
coveted ; or when he drew water from the 
well in her gourd, to replenish again and 
again the ox-hide that formed a drinking 
trough for her thirsty flock. And Am- 
beesa felt himself amply rewarded, when 
the slender fingers of the blooming girl 
decked his hair with the aromatic herbs 
that she had plucked in the wild meadow, 
or she counted over the ewes that they 
were shortly to possess in common. 

Ambeesa was ever in the foremost rank 
when the spear was thrown over the shoul- 
der of the brave ; and, successful in every 
foray, he had won wealth as well as fame. 
None appeared more frequently in the 
many-tailed leopard spoils which form the 
garb of victory ; and the white feather al- 
ways floated above his raven locks. But 
his father having been treacherously mur- 
dered by the Eesah, a blood feud clung to 
the old man's sole descendant; and it 
formed to him a source of self-reproach, 
that, although he had for years dogged the 
footsteps of the assassin, the opportunity 
had never yet occurred when he might 
wash out the stajn ! A skulker among his 
clansmen at a distant oasis, the cowardly 
savage had profited of his deep cunning to 
baffle the creese of the avenger ; and he 
still vaunted his trophy of blood, without 
any account of its acquisition having been 
required. 

But the day of reckoning and of retribu- 
tion was now nigh at hand. The mother 
of Ambeesa had counted out the dowry 
demanded of any who should espouse 
young Aylia, and had claimed the girl as 
her daughter-in-law elect. At the sight 
of the beeves, and the fat rams, and the 
trinkets, and the trumpery cloth, the sole 
remaining eye of the old sheikh glistened 
with a lustre that it had not known for 
years ; but his haughty soul could ill brook 
the thought of his daughter being wedded 
to one whose father's death thus rested 
unavenged. "Get thee hence, young 
man," he exclaimed sternly, shaking his 
silvered locks, after a short inward conflict 
with his avarice — "get thee hence, nor 
show thy face again within my doors as a 



suitor, until thou hast appeased the spirit 
of thy murdered sire. The blood of him 
to whom thou art indebted for thy exist- 
ence, crieth aloud for vengeance ; and 
Wullahi, until the grave of Hassan shall 
have been soaked by thy hands, thou shalt 
not talk to Ali of his daughter." 

Ambeesa sought not his dark mistress, 
but snatching the spear and buckler which 
had been carefully deposited in a corner 
of the cabin, stalked forth without uttering 
a syllable. Passing his own hut in mental 
abstraction, he took the road to the brook, 
and throwing himself upon his face, drew 
a deep draught to allay the fever that con- 
sumed him. Then whetting his brass- 
mounted creese to the keenest edge upon 
a smooth stone, he muttered a dreadful 
oath betwixt his clenched teeth, and strode 
moodily across the sandy plain. 

The great annual fair had already as- 
sembled at the sea-port of Berbera, and 
tribes from all parts of the country were 
flocking thither with their motley wares. 
The curious stalls of the fat Banians from 
India were thronged from morning until 
night with barbarians from the adjacent 
districts, who brought peltries and drugs 
to be exchanged ; and the clamor of hag- 
gling and barter was hourly increased, by 
the arrival of some new caravan of toil- 
worn peddlers from th$ more remote depths 
of the interior, each la,den with an acces- 
sion of rich merchandise, to be converted 
into baubles and blue calico, at a clear net 
profit to the specious Hindoo of two hun- 
dred per cent. Myrrh, ivory, and gum- 
arabic ; civet, frankincense, and ostrich- 
feathers, were piled in every corner of his 
booth ; and the tearing of ells of Nile stuff* 
and Surat cloth, and the counting out of 
porcelain beads, was incessant so long as 
the daylight lasted. Withered beldames, 
with cracked penny-trumpet voices, were 
meanwhile actively employed in the erec- 
tion of new edifices ; and more and more 
camels were ever pouring toward the scene 
of primitive commerce, loaded with the 
long elastic ribs, and the coarse date mat- 
ting, which form the skeleton and shell of 
the nomade's wigwam. 

It was dusk when Ambeesa entered the 
long centre street of this busy scene. He 
had journeyed many days, alone and on 
foot, and his mantle, and his arms, and his 
lofty brow were alike deeply stained with 
the disguising dust of the desert. A gang 
of Bones, with a stalking ostrich, driving 
before them sundry asses laden with the 
spoils of the chase, arrived at the same 
moment from the opposite direction. Rude 
parchment-covered quivers, well stocked 



90 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



with poisoned shafts, hung negligently by 
their side, suspended by the tufted tail of 
a lion ; and with their classic bows over 
their wiry shoulders, the gipsy votaries of 
Diana advanced, swearing and blasphem- 
ing, toward the Eesah quarter of the strag- 
gling encampment. 

The light which gleamed through the 
black goat-hair awning of a Gurague slave- 
merchant, fell upon the features of the wild 
party as it passed ; and Ambeesa's heart 
beat high with exultation when, decorated 
with a dirty ostrich plume, he fancied he 
could recognize the very foe of whom he 
was in search. The archer was, in truth, 
a most truculent-looking knave — one who, 
if his visage did not strangely belie him, 
might have been the perpetrator of any 
given atrocity. The tail-fat of four Ber- 
bera rams incrusted his head in a perfect 
helmet of tallow ; and the putrid entrails 
of the antelope he had last slain, were 
slung in noisome coils about his neck, to 
the pollution of the atmosphere he breathed. 
His repulsive front displayed, through the 
accumulated filth of forty years, a perfect 
maze of mystic figures in tattooed relief, 
on which were imbedded amulets stitched 
in greasy leather ; and the distended lobes 
of his enormous ears were so loaded with 
pewter rings, that not another could have 
been squeezed in. A gap, consequent 
upon the loss of five front teeth in a recent 
brawl, made room for a quid of no ordinary 
dimensions. Two small, sunken, blear 
eyes, which appeared to work upon a 
swivel, squinted alternately, as the in- 
flamed balls were revealed by turns ac- 
cording to the employment of the wearer's 
sinister vision ; and on his meagre, sunken 
cheek yawned a seam five inches in length, 
which precisely corresponded with a gash 
known to have been inflicted by the youth's 
father during a certain moonless night at 
Errur, when a stab in the back had aroused 
the veteran from a deep sleep to his mortal 
struggle. 

" Stay you here, Moosa," quoth one of 
the bowmen, addressing this captivating 
hero, as they stopped before the doorway 
of an unfinished cabin at no great distance 
beyond the rover's pall — " tarry you here, 
and Inshdllah, we'll turn out these lazy 
wenches to unload the asses." 

The name had not been lost upon Am- 
beesa, who, like all of his bigot creed, placed 
the firmest reliance in fate. He had sworn 
never to return until he should have given 
the body of Moosa to the wild beasts, where 
the vultures might pick out his eyes. The 
object of his weary journey was by the in- 
terference of destiny in his favor, already 



within his clutches. He who murdered his 
sire was assuredly alone with him in a dark 
lane, and Aylia was without doubt his own ! 
" Wogerri maani, wogerri maani, ivo- 
gerri maani" repeated the Woeman cold- 
ly, as he extended his open hand toward 
the doomed victim in token of amity. 
" Wogerri, wogerri, wogerri," carelessly 
returned the savage thus accosted, at the 
same time passing his greasy fingers me- 
chanically over the palm presented. The 
same triple salutation again reiterated, was 
thrice returned ; and it gradually dwindled 
away to an assenting " um hum," in itself 
fully as frigid as the wearisome repetitions 
of inquiry had been deeply treacherous. 

Moosa stooped to shake the pebbles from 
his dilapidated sandal. His bare back was 
toward the Woema, for his garment had 
fallen from his brawny shoulder. It was 
enough. Muttering through his closed 
teeth an inaudible invocation to Allah, Am- 
beesa suddenly drew his creese, plunged 
the razor-edged blade to the very hilt into 
the yielding spine of his unsuspecting foe, 
tore the vaunting white feather from his 
greasy locks, spurned the prostrate carcase 
with his foot, spat upon the unseemly fea- 
tures, now distorted into the agonies of 
death, and fled into the wilderness. 

Months had elapsed, and the festive sea- 
son had now returned at which the Be- 
douins annually celebrate their w T eddings. 
Many a dark-eyed damsel had been led by 
her happy swain to the nuptial wigwam, 
when a gayer procession than usual was to 
be seen passing up the centre street of the 
encampment at Gaiel. Eig"ht wrinkled ma- 
trons led, brandishing swords and creeses 
with truly Amazonian gestures, w T hile they 
danced to a wild song in which all joined 
chorus to the dissonant thumping of a ket- 
tle-drum. The charms of the maiden bride 
who followed, and had been long betrothed, 
were screened from vulgar gaze beneath a 
canopy of blue calico, borne by a party of 
the village belles, splendid with porcelain 
jewelry and grease — their arms, like these 
of the sister graces, entwining each other's 
waists ; while every idle blackguard that 
could be mustered, swelled the nuptial train. 
At intervals, the music of the tambourine 
gave place to a shrill vocal solo, when the 
nymphs pirouetted in a mazy circle ; and 
the procession, after thus parading through 
the hamlet, was preceded on its return by 
a party of dirty urchins, bearing the dower 
in ornamented baskets woven of the wiry 
leaf of the palm. Massive ear-rings of brass 
and copper were among the treasures, and 
the much prized, though far from becoming 



THE BRIDE A WIDOW. 



91 



coif of blue calico which forms the badge 
of the wedded wife, had not been forgotten. 

Aylia was still the fairest of all the 
daughters of her tribe, and Ambeesa ever 
the foremost when the spear was thrown 
over the shoulder of the warrior. Happi- 
ness and content reigned in the rude hut. 
No harsh word had ruffled the existence of 
the young pair, and the stranger never 
passed the door without the ready draught 
of milk being proffered, or the kind word 
exchanged. But in accordance with the 
barbarous usage of the Adel Bedouin, the 
wife was to remain an inmate of her father's 
dwelling, until she should have become the 
mother of three children. 

'T was midday in the sultry summer 
months, and the fiery sun poured his fiercest 
rays from his meridian throne. No human 
eye was able to endure the broad glare that 
pervaded the vast sandy plain of Errur, 
which at intervals was scoured by towering 
whirlwinds, imparting the aspect of a man- 
ufacturing town with its huge steam-en- 
gines at work. All animate nature shrank 
under the scorching heat, which had even 
curled the few scanty tufts of withered 
vegetation. The stillness of death per- 
vaded a desolate scene over which floated 
the treacherous mirage. Not a creature 
moved, and no sound was heard save the 
roar of the angry whirlwind tearing every- 
thing before it, as it swept in reckless wrath 
across the encampment, eliciting while it 
raged among the frail mat tenements of the 
location — unroofing some and filling others 
with dust and pebbles — a curse from the 
drowsy savage whose rest it had disturbed. 

Suddenly a shrill cry arose in the dis- 
tance, the well-known tocsin for the as- 
sembly of the men-at-arms. Electrical in 
its effect, every slumberer started to his 
feet, and each ,hut, which had for hours 
been silent as the tomb, poured forth its 
warrior, armed and ready for the fight. 
On the verge of the plain was descried a 
band of the Alia Galla driving off a troop 
of camels, and with the points of their 
spears goading the awkward animals to a 
grotesque gallop. Their remoteness, and 
the unnatural speed to which they had been 
urged, imparted, through the medium of 
the mirage, the appearance of dismem- 
bered animals flying in portions through 
the deceptive atmosphere. Now a head 
attached to a long neck was separated from 
the body, and elevated many feet above its 
proper place ; and now animated legs of 
exaggerated length could alone be perceiv- 
ed fast flitting over the sultry desert. Un- 
attached tails danced in the quivering va- 
por, and the entire distance was alive with 



fragments of men and dromedaries, which 
seemed to have been hurled through the 
air by the bursting of an exploded mine. 

Galla and Woema, pursuer and pursued, 
scoured for some hours over the sandy 
waste ; and it was near sunset when the 
pagan marauders were overtaken on the 
confines of their own territories. A sharp 
conflict ensued ; and two on each side hav- 
ing fallen, the booty was retaken, and the 
unbelievers put to flight by the sons of the 
Faithful. 

From the door of her father's wigwam, 
Aylia watched with inward misgivings the 
return of the victors ; and as she saw the 
bodies of the fallen borne upon the shoul- 
ders of their comrades, her young heart 
throbbed audibly ; for her newly-wedded 
husband was one of those who had gone 
forth. As her straining gaze fell upon the 
still gory corse of him she loved, a flood 
of hot tears dimmed her lustrous eyes, and 
uttering a piercing shriek, she sank sense- 
less at the threshold. Roused again to 
life, the bereaved girl filled the hut with 
her doleful cries. Death would indeed 
have been almost preferable to the lot ac- 
corded by her destiny. The property 
brought at his marriage by the deceased, 
was resumed by his grasping relatives, and 
the late light-hearted wife, became once 
again a slave under the roof of her avari- 
cious parent, there to lead a life of drudg- 
ery until another wealthy suitor should pay 
the dower fixed upon her charms. But 
the light elastic step was gone, by which 
Aylia had erst been distinguished above all 
the Woema maidens. The full black orbs 
had lost their wonted lustre, and the radi- 
ant smile no longer beamed over her faded 
features. The orphan pledge of her first 
love clung to a widowed breast, and the 
heart that beat beneath was broken by the 
untimely fate of the brave youth Ambeesa. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE ONE-EYED FAMILY. HAO, AND FIRST 
GLIMPSE OF THE HAWASH. 

The Arab chieftain of the Foudthli, of 
whom flying parties still infest the deserta 
of Aden, is renowned for the possession 
of two thumbs upon the dexter hand — a 
proud distinction by which his ancestors 
have been recognized from time immemo- 
rial. Sheikh Oomer Buttoo ibn Ali, akil 
of the Tukha'i'el, who occupy the country 
from the oasis of Yoor Erai'n Maroo to 
Hao, a few miles eastward of the Hawash, 



92 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



f lories in the loss of a sinister eye ; and 
e is reputed to have forfeited it by an 
hereditary visitation, which through every 
generation has disfigured his ancestors in 
like manner ; — no single head of the illus- 
trious line having been known to possess 
two eyes ! This venerable Polyphemus 
visited the camp after 'dark, attended by 
his hopeful son and heir, who has already 
qualified for the succession ; and after re- 
ceiving each a piece of blue calico in the 
clandestine manner which these savages 
prefer to a more orthodox public presenta- 
tion, they slunk away, well satisfied with 
their booty. 

A group of slatternly females belonging 
to the Ittoo Galla had sauntered carelessly 
into camp with ox-hides for sale, and to- 
bacco, the produce of their own high hills ; 
and their abrupt departure as the evening 
shades drew on had led to suspicions ane, nt 
the object of their visit. At the going 
down of the sun therefore a caution w r as 
promulgated by the ras, enjoining a vigi- 
lant look out for Galla and wild beasts ; 
and his earnestness might almost have led 
to the anticipation of a rush of wild eques- 
trians through the encampment, or a charge 
of hungry lions from the adjacent gloomy 
thicket, before the termination of the first 
watch. But the cry of " wolf!" had been 
too often dinned into every ear ; and al- 
though both elders and escort had sworn 
that this night at least should be one of 
wakefulness, no surprise was elicited by 
the disappearance of their bushy heads, 
one after another, beneath the mats — an 
example which was speedily followed by 
all the Europeans off duty, as the rain be- 
gan again to tumble in torrents, 

" Et veterem in limo rante cecinere querelam." 

The fear of attracting the " Buddoo," as 
the much-dreaded marauders of every class 
were gencrically designated, still invaria- 
bly brought an order which there was no 
gainsaying, to strike and pack the tent be- 
fore sunset, however threatening the as- 
pect of the weather. But the despotism 
of the ras was light in comparison with the 
tyranny exercised by his unaccommoda- 
ting train. At whatever hour of the night 
the arbitrary mandate to load might be pro- 
mulgated, it was required that the bedding 
of the whole party should forthwith be de- 
livered at the quarters of the arrogant dri- 
ver to whom it pertained, since he declin- 
ed making his camel walk to the spot. 
Moreover, the delay of a few minutes was 
sufficient to condemn it to be left on the 
ground, notwithstanding that preparations 
have often occupied two hours, whieh might 



as well have been devoted to rest ; and 
this wanton curtailment of sleep was 
doubly felt after the heavy nocturnal duty 
that devolved upon all. 

The route on the 9th led across the flat 
of Halikdiggi Kabir, a continuation of the 
Moolu plain, extending from the Azboti 
and Ittoo ranges to the mountains Aiulloo 
and Abida. Twelve miles in breadth, it 
presents one monotonous alluvial level, 
treeless, but thickly covered with grass, 
interspersed with dwarf shrubs, and en- 
livened by herds of the elegant w/iorr, 
among which the secretary-bird occasion- 
ally strutted in native dignity. Baezas 
and zebras, too, were decried on the hills 
which bound the flat ; and a luckless leop- 
ard being detected in the act of stealing 
across the expanse, the savage group pur- 
sued like demons from every quarter, and 
having presently hooted and hunted the 
terrified animal into a bush, transfixed his 
carcass incontinently with thirty spears. 

The whole landscape was alive during 
this animated scene which scarcely occu- 
pied a minute ; and in due process of time 
the panting warriors rejoined the caravan, 
their necks, spears, and shields adorned 
with strips of the victim's tail, while he 
who by dint of superior wind and fleet- 
ness had drawn the first blood, was by his 
comrades publicly invested with the spot- 
ted spoils that he had won. The appear- 
ance of the party on their return, accom- 
panied by a stray horseman who had for- 
tuitously joined in the chase, gave birth in 
the bosom of the ras to an apprehension 
that the Ittoo Galla were descending upon 
the caravan. The ranks were accordingly 
closed, and the Europeans again took post 
on the flank to be assailed, until a nearer 
approach revealed in the savage band the 
features of friends. 

A descent of thirty feet over a narrow 
tongue of land, led into the valley of Halik- 
diggi Zughir, styled by the AdaVel the 
Great Hawash — its breadth being about 
two and a half mile?, and the bed a perfect 
level, covered with fine grass, on which 
grazed a troop of wild asses. Bounded 
throughout the serpentine progress by par- 
allel banks of corresponding height and 
appearance, the hollow would seem to ex- 
tend from the mountains of the Ittoo Galla 
north to the Aiulloo volcano. It wears the 
aspect of having been once the channel of 
a considerable stream — that of the Ha- 
wash perhaps, which river may not impro- 
bably have been diverted into its present 
course at the period when the extensive 
volcanic tract around Mount Abida was in 
a state of activity, and when subterranean 



THE MYRRH TREE— 3ATA MOHAMMAD. 



93 



influence must have caused extraordinary 
revolutions in the entire aspect of the 
country. 

Here occurred the last specimen seen of 
the kurbeta, the myrrh-bearing tree * of 
which two varieties are found abundantly 
over all the barren hill sides, from the 
Doomi valley to the borders of the Hawash. 
That producing the better description of 
the gum resin, is a dwarf shrub, with deeply 
serrated crisp leaves of a dull green ; where- 
as the other, yielding a substance more 
like balm than myrrh, attains a height of 
ten feet, and has bright shining leaves. 
From any bruise or incision inflicted, the 
" hofali " flows copiously in the form of a 
milkyjuice, possessing a perceptible acidity, 
which either evaporates or becomes chem- 
ically changed when the gum forms. Left 
ungathered, it becomes hard with the loss 
of the volatile oil, and thus crumbles away ; 
but if the vrouad be cleared frequently, a 
very large quantity may be collected du- 
ring the seasons, which occur in January 
when the buds appear after the first rain, 
and again when the seeds are ripe, in 
March. 

Three ounces of the finest myrrh and 
nne of dross, may thus be obtained during 
the year, and the secreting vessels lying 
immediately under the epidermis, a very 
slight bend in a branch makes it flow freely. 
The wandering shepherds either tear off 
one of the lower limbs, or so bruise the 
stem with a heavy stone as to retard the 
growth of the tree ; but every new sprout is 
spontaneously covered with gum, although 
in a somewhat more fluid state. Repeated 
injuries in the same spot lead to the forma- 
tion of an ever-filling cavity, and 

"The mirrhe sweete bleeding in the bitter wounde," 

is transferred by each passer-by to the hol- 
low boss of his shield, to be exchanged for 
a handful of tobacco with the next slave- 
dealer met on the caravan road. But the 
Danakil are not altogether ignorant of the 
virtues of the drug, and invariably recom- 
mended it for those horses that were una- 
ble to proceed from heat and exhaustion. 
It has been seen that from Yoor Erain 
Maroo, an accession to the escort was re- 
ceived in the person of the hopeful son of 
Datah Mohammad, co-chief of the Sidi 
Habroo. This insatiable vagabond, a wor- 
thy scion of his stock, had received from 
the hand of Nature an aspect that could 
only have belonged to a finished cut-throat. 
Deeply scarred' with the small-pox, his 
bloated half-shaven muzzle peered through 



* Balsamodendron Myrrha.J 



a tangled web of grease-clotted hair, like 
a drowsy owl out of an ivy bush. He pre- 
sented a truly striking picture of man in 
the natural state. Although never without 
a new quid in his mouth, and another half 
masticated behind either ear, he passed 
hours of each day in importuning for more 
" timboo" of which he was the most pas- 
sionate admirer ; and it was his undeviat- 
ing rule never to pass a white face without 
repeating in an authoritative tone the tri- 
syllable " Irreboot" in token of his deter- 
mination to add still farther to his stock in 
hand of yarn-needles, which already out- 
numbered the quills of the porcupine. 

Firmly persuaded that every mule with 
the party had been purchased for his espe- 
cial riding, and equally convinced that his 
presence was indispensable to the general 
safety, he appropriated the very first that 
came within his reach, changing it as often 
as he thought proper, and never leaving it 
without a galled back. If not a professor 
of equitation, he was at all events devoted 
to the science, and it was with a fiendish 
scowl indeed, that while crossing Halik- 
diggi Zughir, he received an order to dis- 
mount from a steed which he had selected 
out of the drove for the purpose of riding 
down an oryx. " Tuwwaddee /" " attend," 
he mumbled sulkily as he thrust away the 
animal with the butt of his spear — " Tuw- 
waddee ! I am a great man's son, and have 
no intention of walking. If I am not to 
have a horse, you may even settle as best 
you can with my father's Bedouins." 

Mules, horses, and camels, in considera- 
ble numbers, were abandoned before the 
termination of this tedious and sultry march 
— fatigue, want of water, and a lack of 
forage, having reduced all to such positive 
skeletons that they walked with difficulty. 
Ascending three successive terraces, each 
of fifty feet elevation, the road finally wound 
into the confined and waterless valley of 
Hao, famous for the number of parties that 
have at various times been surprised and 
cut up by the neighboring Galla — 

" For, with hot rapine fir'd, ensanguin'd man 
Is here become the lion of the plain 
And worse." 

Not a month had elapsed since three 
ill-starred individuals of a Tajura caravan, 
impatient to satisfy burning thirst, hurry- 
ing in advance of the main body, were cut 
off by a band of Galla horsemen, who had 
lain concealed behind the rocks immediate- 
ly above the present encamping ground, 
and who, after mutilating the bodies, bore 
off their barbarous trophies in triumph. 
The dale hard by had only two nights pre- 



94 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



viously to the arrival of the present party, 
formed the scene of a skirmish between 
the Ittoo and the inhabitants of the plain, 
when the bodies of twenty of the former 
and nine of the latter were left to the vul- 
tures and hyenas. Every hill and valley 
in this direction could, in fact, tell its in- 
dividual tale of bloodshed and slaughter. 
The wild barbarians keep a constant look 
out to pounce upon any wanderers weak- 
er than themselves, and few are the na- 
tives to be seen who bear not on their per- 
sons some indelible mark of hand to hand 
combat. 

Fatigued by the long march, the Dana- 
kil were all fast asleep within their tem- 
porary sheds, a few of the drivers excepted, 
who tended their browsing camels among 
the adjacent thorns. In an instant the 
whole valley rang with the cry to assem- 
ble at arms, and inconceivable was the 
confusion that ensued. Many of the es- 
cort, only half awake, in rushing forth over- 
threw portions of their dens upon others 
who were still inside. Warrior clashed 
against warrior, shield against shield. The 
rocky hill-side was presently a living mass 
of half-clad savages, panting up the steep 
acclivity, when a few Galla scouts, whose 
sudden appearance on the plain had caused 
the alarm, were perceived mounting their 
steeds ; and, understanding themselves to 
be the objects of these warlike preparations, 
they precipitately sped their way. 

From the summit of the height was ob- 
tained an exhilarating prospect over the 
dark lone valley of the long-looked-for Ha- 
wash. The- -course of the shining river 
was marked by a dense belt of trees and 
verdure, which stretches toward the base 
of the great mountain range, whereof the 
cloud-capped cone that frowns over the 
capital of Shoa forms the most conspicu- 
ous feature. Although still far distant, 
the ultimate destination of the embassy 
seemed almost to have been gained ; and 
none had an idea of the length of time 
that must elapse ere his foot should press 
the soil of Ankober. A day of intense heat 
was as usual followed by a heavy fall of 
rain, which, owing to the unaccommodating 
arrangement again peremptorily exacted, 
of striking the tent at sunset, thoroughly 
drenched the whole party ; but before final- 
ly drawing the mat over his sleepy head, 
the ras el kafilah mounted a cone which 
stood in the centre of the compact circle, 
and proclaimed, in a loud voice to all, a 
night of light sleep and watchfulness. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

PASSAGE OF THE HAW ASH. 

Numerous were the apprehensions now 
in agitation relative to the state of the 
formidable river in advance, whose shallow 
stream, so easily forded during the season 
of drought, was not unreasonably conjec- 
tured to be swollen by the recent rains. 
Second of the rivers of Abyssinia, and ri- 
sing in the very heart of Ethiopia, at an 
elevation of eight thousand feet above the 
sea, which it never reaches, the Hawash 
is fed at long intervals by niggard tribu- 
taries from the high bulwarks of Shoa and\ 
Efat, and flows like a great artery through 
the arid and inhospitable plains of the 
Adaiel, green and wooded throughout its 
long course, until finally absorbed in the | 
lagoons at Aussa ; and the canopy of 
fleecy clouds, which, as the day dawned, 
hung thick and heavy over the lofty blue 
peaks beyond, gave sad presage of the 
deluge that was pouring between the ver- 
dant banks from the higher regions of its 
source. 

Passing along the face of the murderous 
hill, which is of wacke formation, the 
road descended by several sloping terraces, 
to the level valley through which the river 
winds. At first thinly wooded, the soil 
was covered with tall rank grass, which, 
in consequence of the perpetual incursions 
of the Galla, grew in all its native luxu- 
riance, uncropped whether by flock or herd. 
But as the path wound on, gum-bearing 
acacias and other forest trees increased 
both in size and number— the jungle and 
undergrowth, teeming with guinea-fowl, 
which rose clamorously at every step, 
waxed thicker and thicker — groves of 
waving tamarisk, ringing to the voice of the 
bell-bird, flanked every open glade, where- 
on lay traces of recent inundation : and 
the noble trees which towered above them 
from the banks of the Hawash, gave evi- 
dence in their shattered branches of the 
most ponderous of terrestrial mammalia. 

Vegetation having here assumed a lux- 
uriance known to none of the joyless and 
unproductive regions hitherto traversed, it 
is with some difficulty that the pilgrim, 
anxious to behold the rare phenomenon of 
a running stream, forces his way through 
the dense thickets, which, until the foot 
touches the very brink of the precipitous 
bank, so completely screen the silent river 
from view, that its very existence might 
almost be questioned. But after a perse- 
vering struggle, farther progress was at 
length arrested by a deep volume of tux- 



THE HAW ASH— FLYING BRIDGE. 



95 



bid water, covered with drift-wood, which 
rolled at the rate of some three miles an 
hour, between steep clayey walls twenty- 
five feet in height, bounding a mere break 
through the mud and sand. The breadth 
of the channel fell short of sixty yards, 
and the flood was not yet at its maximum ; 
but its depth and violence, added to the 
broad belt of tamarisk and acacia, inter- 
laced by large creepers and parasites, which 
hems in both sides, promised to offer much 
difficulty and delay in the coming passage. 
Pensive willows that drooped mournfully 
over the troubled current, were festooned 
with recent drift, hanging many feet above 
the level of the abrupt banks ; and this 
appearance, no less than the rubbish scat- 
tered over the borders, fully proved the 
assertion of the natives that the water had 
recently been out, to the overflowing of 
the adjacent flat country for many miles. 

The Ha wash, here upward of two thou- 
sand two hundred feet above the ocean, 
farms in this direction the nominal boun- 
dary of the dominions of the King of 
Shoa. Izhak was therefore strongly urg- 
ed to dispatch a courier in advance, who 
might apprise his majesty of the near ap- 
proach of the British embassy. But from 
some latent and sinister motive of his 
own, the proposal was again negatived, ag 
it had before frequently been, upon the 
grounds of the dangers to be apprehended 
on the road. These, according to his 
showing, rendered it impossible for a sin- 
gle messenger to venture on so rash an 
undertaking, notwithstanding that Ahmed 
Mohammad, the Dankali who had been 
the bearer of the letter dispatched to Shoa 
from Tanjiira, and who was still with the 
caravan, had so recently passed twice in 
Bafety over this identical route. 

As a measure of precaution against in- 
undation, the camp was formed upon the 
summit of a small stony eminence, con- 
siderably above high-water mark ; and 
several armed Bedouins were presently 
lounging and prying about the tent, to the 
great annoyance and discomfiture of the 



ras el kafilah. 



^hose fellows call them- 



selves Debeni," he remarked, " and will 
not commit murder wantonly ; but the 
villains are thieves in grain, and will steal 
whatsoever they can lay their hands upon. 
They have no business here." 

Many energetic remonstrances touching 
the impropriety of the obtrusion, produced 
not the smallest effect upon these obstinate 
savages ; and finding that they continued 
to laugh him to scorn, and to set his 
boasted authority at defiance, the old man 
finally requested that a musket might be 



fired over their heads — a measure which 
quickly brought about the desired decamp- 
ment. The smell of gunpowder is intol- 
erable to every Dankali. The bravest of 
the brave slide off with a growl and a 
sulky look, if a gun be but touched in 
their presence ; and an unexpected dis- 
charge, as on this occasion, when a knot* 
has collected, causes every man to start 
upon his feet, and, with a muttered curse, 
to bring his spear to the rest. 

The residue of the day was devoted by 
the camel-drivers to the preparation of 
rafts for the transport of the baggage, and 
the working-party was still at the river, 
when the Adai'el conch sounded to arms, 
and the shrill war-whoop again summoned 
all to the rescue. Great was the confu- 
sion that ensued, and light-footed warriors 
were to be seen scampering down every 
avenue, armed with spear and shield ; but 
the cry proved to have been raised in con- 
sequence of a disaster that had befallen 
one of the camels. Too lazy to loosen 
the cord which fettered the fore-legs of 
the animal, the stupid owner had driven 
it, thus crippled, down the steep slippery 
bank to the water's edge, when, as might 
have been anticipated, it was swept away 
by the strong current, without being able 
to make one struggle for extrication. 

At sundown the caravan was closely 
packed within a stout thorn-fence, serving 
as a partial protection against the wild 
beasts and plunderers with which the 
dense thicket is infested — its endless 
depths being so entangled and interwoven 
that no eye could penetrate the gloom. 
The moonless night was passed in ex- 
treme discomfort, owing to a deluge of 
rain which commenced early, and fell in- 
cessantly for many hours. Deafening 
thunder pealed in startling claps overhead, 
and broad sheets of fire, lighting up the 
entire face of the landscape at short inter- 
vals, for a moment only disclosed the sav- 
age loneliness of the wild spot, which was 
the next instant shrouded in pitchy dark- 
ness. 

With the dawning day, preparations 
were made for crossing the river on ten 
frail rafts which had already been launch- 
ed — transverse layers of drift-wood rudely 
lashed together, being rendered sufficiently 
buoyant, by the addition of numerous in- 
flated hides and water-skins, to support 
two camel loads. The sharp creeses of 
the Danakil had removed many of the 
overtopping boughs, interlaced with creep- 
ers, which impeded transit toward the 
point selected for the passage, and in the 
course of a few hours every portion of the 



96 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



baggage had been deposited at the water's 
edge. 

Casting off his garments, Mohammad 
Ali, always the foremost in cases of diffi- 
culty and danger, now seized the end of a 
rope betwixt his teeth, and, plunging into 
the river, swam with it to the opposite 
bank, where it was belayed, upon the prin- 
ciple of the flying bridge, to an overhang- 
ing willow — a guy which connected it 
with each raft serving to counteract the 
violence of the stream, which, in spite of 
the heavy rain, had fallen upward of a 
foot during the night. Raiment was now 
discarded by every Dankali, and the work 
commenced in right earnest ; but difficult 
and laborious indeed was the task before 
them. The water trickled over their 
greasy limbs until a late hour of the even- 
ing, and the utmost exertions only suc- 
ceeded in accomplishing the transfer of 
the endless train to the western bank be- 
fore nightfall, with the loss of three beasts 
of burden drowned, and sundry firelocks 
sunk to the bottom. 

This latter disaster arose from the spon- 
taneous going to pieces of one of the rude- 
ly-lashed rafts, when one of the clumsy 
followers became entangled in the wreck, 
and but for the exertions of the son of Ali 
Abi would inevitably have been lost. The 
fair Hasseinee was among those who were 
thus cast away in the middle of the deep 
waters ; but hers was not the person to 
sink, and floating like a Naiad on the sur- 
face, with long raven locks streaming over 
her fat shoulders, the nymph appeared to 
be in her native element, and was soon 
shaking her wet petticoat on the opposite 
shore. 

The baggage being of necessity divided, 
and the whole of the native escort as well 
as the camel-drivers employed in loading 
and navigating the rafts, it was deemed 
prudent, in addition to an ostentatious dis- 
play of rifles on both sides, to make liberal 
disbursements of blue calico, in order to 
purchase the neutrality of the Bedouins, 
who infest the borders of the river. On 
the division of the party, some of the Adaiel 
females being separated from their lords, a 
characteristic trait of Ibrahim Shehem Abli 
was elicited by the proposal for solution of 
the old riddle of the three jealous husbands, 
with their wives, who found on the banks 
of a rapid stream which they were desirous 
of crossing, a boat that would contain only 
three persons, whereas each telt unwilling 
to abandon his fair partner to the mercy of 
the other. After puzzling for some time, 
without being able to arrange the transit 
in a satisfactory manner, "Murhabba!'' he 



exclaimed ; " had I been one of the same 
party, I should soon have settled the diffi- 
culty by cutting the throats of the two jeal- 
ous rascals, and taking all their women to 
myself." 

The stream of the Ha wash being ex- 
ceedingly thick and troubled, from the dis- 
tance it had rolled betwixt clayey banks, it 
was with much satisfaction that a pond ot 
wholesome water, styled Dubbtlli, was dis- 
covered, divided from the river by a narrow 
wooded neck of land, one hundred and fifty 
yards across. Steep shelving walls strewed 
with shells and the reliquiae of hippopotami, 
environed this singular basin, which ap- 
peared to be fathomless, and to measure a 
mile and a half in circumference. Lofty 
trees, in a wintry dress, cast their deep 
shadow over the brink ; and while the 
stems of many were partially immersed, the 
leafless branches of some were loaded with 
storks' nests, and the shattered limbs of 
others presented tokens of the giant strength 
of the elephant, no less than of the terrible 
wrath of lightning and storm. 

Corresponding tongues abutting from the 
opposite banks, divide the expanse into two 
equal bays. A group of wild Bedouins 
watered their camels on the shore, and in 
the centre Behemoth rolled his unwieldy 
carcass to the surface amid floating croco- 
diles — protruding his droll snout, which 
glistened in slimy ugliness, to blow ever 
and anon a snort that might be heard at the 
distance of a mile. A two-ounce ball, duly 
hardened with antimony, took effect in the 
skull of one of the boldest with a crash that 
was not to be mistaken ; but although the 
monster went down, leaving a gallon of 
blood to denote the disaster that had befal- 
len him, he had temporarily disappeared j 
and by the incredulous Daiiakil the assu- 
rance was received with a sneering shake 
of the head, that his carcass must infallibly 
be found floating in the morning. 

Much difficulty had been experienced in 
bringing the horses and mules across the 
river, and one obstinate donkey, but too 
well aware of its inability to swim, having 
pointedly refused to take the water, was 
towed over by main strength at the end of 
a rope. Inflated skins kept the animal 
afloat ; but the stubborn head sinking be- 
low the surface, the poor beast landed with 
sides distended almost to bursting by too 
copious draughts of muddy water. His 
master, an aged washerman from Hindos- 
tan, loving Neddy as the apple of his eye, 
in the simplicity of his old heart, adopted 
the prescription of some wag who had fa- 
cetiously recommended suspension by the 
heels, in order to try the ancient discipline 



THE DEAD HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



97 



of the Humane Society for the recovery of 
drowned mortals. A fit of apoplexy was 
the result, and the donkey expired under 
the lancet. 

Followed by the lamentations of the dis- 
consolate owner, the carcass was dragged 
some twenty yards beyond the limits of the 
encamping ground ; and no sooner had the 
dark night thrown a shroud over it, than 
the foul scavengers of the forest assembled 
in numbers round the prey, and regardless 
of a blazing watch-fire that had been kin- 
dled to avert the visits of the monarch of 
the wilderness, commenced their revels 
with the demoniacal laugh indicative of a 
right happy mood. While the rain de- 
scended in pitiless torrents, a continual 
chuckle of the highest merriment, which 
ran through all the various notes of a clear 
throat, resounded afar amid the crunching 
of bones and munching of flesh — a deeper 
growl from some larger beast of prey, now 
and then varying the infernal harmony, to 
be followed by another ringing laugh as of 
a whole legion of devils. Vivid flashes of 
lightning played over the scene of this mid- 
night carnival ; the violent snapping of 
branches in the adjacent forest proclaimed 
the nocturnal foray of the elephant and 
hippopotamus ; the loud roar and the start- 
ling snort were neither wanting to com- 
plete the concert of the wild Hawash ; and 
long ere the morning dawned, the place of 
the carcass knew it not, every vestige, even 
to the skull, having found a sepulchre in 
the maw of "the laughing hyena." 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

WADY AZBOTI. ARRIVAL OF A SPY FROM 
THE ABYSSINIAN MOUNTAINS. 

" The robi is not dead," was the first 
falsehood that greeted the ear when day- 
light had returned. To have told the truth 
on this occasion, must have redounded to 
the personal advantage of the informant, 
but he had nobly upheld the national char- 
acter at the sacrifice of a handful of his 
much-loved tobacco. Repairing to the 
margin of the lake, the freckled pink sides 
of a defunct hippopotamus were to be seen 
high above the surface, as the distended 
carcass floated like a monstrous buoy at 
anchor. It had become entangled among 
the tall tamarisks that rose through the 
shallow water near the brink, but hawsers 
were carried out with all diligence, and 
with the aid of the rudder-like tail, the 
colossus was towed to shore, and landed 



among the mud, under the acclamations 
of the assembled caravan. 

" Where the carcass is, there shall the 
eagles be gathered together." A formi- 
dable band of " Bones" were already squat- 
ted at a respectful distance, to watch the 
progress of events, and no sooner had the 
teeth been hewn out than they laid aside 
their bows and quivers, and having stripped 
the thick hide from off the ribs, attacked 
the mountain of flesh with the vigor of a 
South African horde. Donkeys and wo- 
men were laden with incredible dispatch, 
and staggering under huge flaps of meat, 
the archers had soon left the scene of 
operations. Two reservoirs, each lying 
at the distance of a musket-shot, had 
meanwhile been visited — the one a sul- 
phuric basin of considerable extent, the 
other a vast sheet of water, embosomed in 
trees, dotted over with wood-clothed islets, 
and teeming with hippopotami. But this 
was neutral ground ; and the fears of the 
Danakil conjuring into existence a host 
of lurking foes, the period allowed for in- 
vestigation was brief. 

Bidding adieu with light hearts to the 
muddy Hawash, the party resumed its 
march so soon as the camel furniture had 
become sufficiently dry ; and skirting- 
the Dubbelli Lake, from the waters of 
which Behemoth blew a parting salute, 
passed the Bedouin hamlet of Muiku-kuyu 
in the Dofah district, to a fourth pond 
bearing the euphonous title of Ailabello. 
Prettily situated in a secluded green hol- 
low, and presenting about the same cir- 
cumference as its neighbor, below which 
it is considerably depressed, this pool re- 
sembles a circular walled cistern, and is 
obviously the basin of an old crater. Its 
waters, alkaline, bitter, and strongly sul- 
phureous, even to the smell, receive con- 
stant accessions from a hot mineral well 
at the brink, and possessing the singular 
detergent property of bleaching the filthiest 
cloth, many of the Dauakil were, for once, 
to be seen in flaunting white togas. 
Thence the road lay over a grassy plain, 
covered with volcanic sand and ashes, and 
shut in by cones of trivial altitude, forming 
another field of extinct craters, many very 
perfect, and each environed by its indi- 
vidual zone ; — while the circumjacent 
country, embracing a diameter of eight 
miles, exhibited through the superincum- 
bent soil, tracts of jet-black lava. 

Apprehensions being entertained of the 
non-existence of pools at the station suited 
for the encampment, still some miles in 
advance, a detour was made from the 
main road to Le Ado, " the White Water** 



98 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



a very extensive lake, at. which the skins 
were replenished and the thirst of the 
animals slaked. A belt of high acacia 
jungle embosomed this noble expanse, 
which exceeded two miles in diameter, 
the glassy surface in parts verdant with 
sheets of the lotus in full flower, and liter- 
ally covered with aquatic fowls. Geese, 
mallard, whistling teal, herons, and flamin- 
goes, with a new species of the parra, 
were screaming in all directions, as they 
winged their flight from the point invaded, 
where a party of Bedouin shepherdesses 
deposed to having seen a troop of elephants 
bathing not half an hour before — the nu- 
merous prints of their colossal feet re- 
maining in testimony, sunk fresh and 
heavy on the moist sands. 

Prior to crossing the Ha wash, the only 
sheep observed were the ovis aries lati- 
caudala, or Hejaz lamb, with sable head 
and neck, thick fatty tail, and fleece com- 
posed of hair instead of wool. This species 
had now, to the westward of the river, 
given place to the larger Abyssinian breed, 
with huge pendulous appendages of truly 
preposterous size, encumbered with fat, 
and vibrating to the animal's progress. 
Parti-colored goats, armed with long 
wrinkled horns, still diversified the flocks, 
which were uniformly attended by small 
dogs with fox-like heads, spotted yellow 
and white, and evidently high in favor 
with their dark mistresses. 

Several of these females wore around 
the neck large tinkling brazen bells, bor- 
rowed from the collar of an Abyssinian 
mule, and forming a very suitable accom- 
paniment to the massive fabrications of 
pewter and copper which loaded their ears. 
Their long black tresses were braided into 
an infinity of streamers, each resembling 
the lash of a schoolboy's whip, and various 
most ingenious tattooed devices scarred 
their arms, temples, and bosoms. By the 
beaux of the caravan, unqualified homage 
was paid to certain coquettes, who carried 
milk-jars curiously wrought of palm-leaves, 
and studded with manifold cowrie shells. 
To the backs of sundry weird harridans 
were strapped skins containing sour curds, 
which attracted flies in the tens of millions 
usually seen around the molasses at a 
Banian's stall. No attempt was made to 
disturb those that clustered in their blear- 
inflamed eyes ; and the swarms collected 
about the wrinkled corners of the mouth, 
•were only put to flight when the hand was 
applied to second the wonted exclamation 
•of surprise at the appearance of a white 
face, " Nubbee Mohammadoo!" 

Numerous wigwams peeped through the 



extensive forest of aged camel-thorns, 
which borders on Le Ado, and eventually 
debouches upon a succession of barren 
plains, covered with herds of antelope. 
Two rough stone inclosures by the way- 
side were surmounted by poles, from which 
dangled the heads of as many lions, dilapi- 
dated by time, although still enveloped in 
the skin ; and said to have been speared 
on this spot, many years before by the 
Bedouins, who exalted these trophies in 
commemoration of the deed. 

Immediately beyond this point lay the 
encamping ground at Wady Azboti, where 
numerous shallow pools had been filled by 
the recent rain, but where the ill-starred 
cattle were compelled to content them- 
selves with water only, not a vestige of 
grass or green herb remaining in the 
vicinity. It had, in fact, now become a 
proverb, that these two essential materials 
to existence could never be found in the 
Adel wilderness in one and the same place. 
Vast flights of locusts, which had assisted 
to lay the country bare, still carrying deso- 
lation in their progress, were shaping their 
destructive course toward Abyssinia. They 
quite darkened the air at the moment that 
the caravan halted ; and a host of vora- 
cious adjutants wheeled high above the 
dense cloud, at one moment bursting with 
meteor-like velocity through the serried 
phalanx, and at the next stalking over the 
field to fill their capacious maws with the 
victims which their long scythe-fashioned 
pinions had swept incontinently from the 
sky. 

The groves around Azboti afforded a 
welcome supply of bustard, partridges, and 
guinea-fowl, together with mhorr, and pig- 
my antelope ; and on the return of the 
heavily-loaded Nimrods to the tent, infinite 
diversion was found in the horror depicted 
on the physiognomy of the warlike leader 
of the Hy Somauli band, whose old-fash- 
ioned bob wig, quaint gait, and antiquated 
comicalities, had justly invested him with 
the sobriquet of " Doctor Syntax." The 
professor of natural history was as usual 
busily engaged in the preparation of cabi- 
net specimens, when the old oddity advan- 
ced to see what was going on ; and as the 
bodies of beetles and locusts were subject- 
ed to the process of toasting over the fire, 
his droll features were distorted by lines, 
which revealed plainly enough an inward 
conviction entertained, that the operation 
was none other than culinary, and that the 
hideous insects were to be eaten. 

But the war-whoop, without which few 
days ever drew to a close, had aroused the 
doctor from his cogitations ; and at the 



ADEL WAR-DANCE— TORNADO. 



99 



head of his men, he was presently in hot 
pursuit of a band of ruffians, who had 
cleverly contrived to drive off a camel per- 
taining to the kafiiah. Returning with the 
booty after a long chase, the exploit was 
celebrated by the war-dance, which for an 
hour kept the camp in a fierce uproar. 
Formed in a circle, the excited warriors 
crouched low to the ground, as they stamp- 
ed vis-a-vis, and howled with the utmost 
fury. Then rising with one accord, they 
brandished their spears aloft, and vaulted 
franticly in the air, through a maze of in- 
tricate figures. Next arrayed in line, a 
brave sprung ever and anon to the front, 
and striding up and down with mincing 
gait, went through some strange gesticu- 
lations and contortions, as he recited the 
prowess of the clan, and urged it to future 
deeds of valor — the clash of spear and 
shield responding at every pause, while the 
wild chorus pealed along the ranks. Con- 
fusion now ensued : the band was engaged 
in a pantomimic conflict. Savage after 
savage, rolling his eyeballs, sprang, pan- 
ther-like, across the loins of his nearest 
neighbor, ani" clinging fast with his heels, 
tightly clasped his erect opponent with the 
muscles of his legs. Creeses flashed 
brightly in the air ; mock wounds were 
inflicted, and the form of dividing the 
windpipe having been duly gone through, 
long and loud arose, with the renewed 
dance, triumphant strains of " Awey bi- 
rooah ! awey birooah /" " I have slain my 
foe ! I have slain my foe !" 

Toward the close of the day, which was 
hot and muggy under the steam that arose 
from the saturated soil, a Bedouin rode 
consequentially into the camp ; and, after 
making his observations, departed even as 
he had come, without deigning an expla- 
nation of any sort. Attention was particu- 
larly attracted to this prying stranger, from 
the circumstance of his gray steed being 
branded on flank and wither with the 
Ethiopian sign of the cross. Delivering 
no message, although he was conjectured 
to be a retainer of Wulasma Mohammad, 
the abogaz or cusios of the frontier of 
EfAt, whose post was now not distant more 
than twenty miles, the mysterious de- 
meanor of this spy did not fail to strength- 
en a report, which had long been in circu- 
lation among the mischievous Danakil, that 
at the court of Shoa, the British were far 
from being regarded in the light of wel- 
come visitors ; and further, that an armed 
f>arty was in readiness to oppose entrance 
nto the kingdom — a rumor which, how- 
ever improbable, was unfortunately further 
supported by the extraordinary and unac- 



countable fact of no sort of recognition 
having, up to this period, been vouchsafed 
by his most gracious majesty the king. 

Rising tier above tier to the supremely 
soaring peak of Mamrat, " the Mother of 
Grace," with her doomed head ever can- 
opied in clouds, the lofty mountains which 
fortify the royal dominions, now shot like 
giant castles from the sandy plain, the most 
conspicuous features in the landscape. 
Volcanic impediments, such as had beset 
the heretofore weary path, had at length 
finally ceased; but the glowing sulphur 
hills of Sullala, reared their fantastic 
spires on the verge of the monotonous ex- 
panse ; and high among the more vene- 
rable witnesses to the troubled lowlands, 
the position of Ankober was discernible to 
the naked eye, with the steep Chaka range 
stretching beyond at still greater elevation. 
The luxuriant verdure which clothed the 
rugged sides of the nearer slopes, while 
it contrasted strongly with the aridity of 
the barren tracts at their base, indicated 
the presence of the autumnal rains ; and 
hereof further evidence was afforded in 
the low grumbling of frequent thunder, 
echoing like distant artillery among the 
serrated summits, as the heavy black 
clouds at intervals drew their smoky man- 
tle across the scene, and veiled the mon- 
sters from sight. 

The departure of the silent spy was fol- 
lowed bf the arrival of a most boisterous 
visitor from the highlands. The hazy sun, 
shorn of his bright beams, and looming a 
dull fiery globe in the dense mist, had no 
sooner disappeared in wrath, than a furious 
whirlwind tory along the desert plain, and 
during the gloomy twilight, the storm, 
which had been cradled amid the mighty 
mountains, descended in desolation, like 
an angry giant from his keep. 

Black masses of cloud, rolling impetu- 
ously along the steep acclivities, settled at 
length over the face of the waste, for a 
time shrouding the very earth in its dark 
dank embrace, only to render more striking 
the contrast to the dazzling light which in 
another moment had succeeded. Brilliant 
corruscations blazed and scintillated in 
every quarter of the fervid heavens, hiss- 
ing and spluttering through the heavy fog, 
or darting like fiery serpents along the sur- 
face of the ground — at one instant awfully 
revealing the towering peaks that frowned 
far in the distance — at the next flashing in 
a hot sulphury flame through the centre 
of the encampment. 

Meanwhile the deep roll of thunder con- 
tinued without a moment's intermission, 
the prolonged growl of each startling clap 



100 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



varying ever as it receded in a fitful change 
of intonation ; while the wailing of the 
blast, accompanied by the sharp rattle of 
hail, and the impetuous descent of torrents 
of rain, completed the horrors of a tempest 
which, now at its height, careered madly 
over the unbroken plain. The soil had 
soon swallowed the deluge to overflowing. 
Muddy rivulets poured through every quar- 
ter of the flooded bivouac ; and the heavy 
tarpaulins, which had afforded some tem- 
porary shelter, proving of little further 
avail, the shivering but still watchful party 
were exposed during many dismal hours 
that ensued to all the merciless fury of this 
unaDpeasable hurricane. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

VALLEY OF KOKAl. HOSTILITIES OF WTJL- 
ASMA MOHAMMAD. 

A cool cloudy morning succeeding to 
this dreary, boisterous and uncomfortable 
night, the caravan was in motion before 
eunrise across the uninteresting plain of 
Azboti, in parts completely swamped, and 
covered toward its borders with one in- 
terminable sheet of the aloe and lilium, 
growing beneath spreading acacias upon a 
gravelly soil. Then commenced a belt of 
hammocks, formed by prominences abut- 
ting from the high land of Abyssinia — a 
succession of hill and dale, thickly wooded 
with a variety of timber, and still clothed 
with an undergrowth of the wild aloe, 
through which wary herds of baeza thread- 
ed their way. The road soon entered the 
pebbly bed of a mountain stream, running 
easterly between precipitous basaltic cliffs 
toward the Hawash ; but although such 
torrents of rain had fallen the preceding 
night, no water was discovered in the 
wooded wady of Kokai, until reaching 
Dathara, nearly thirteen miles from the 
last encampment, where the party partook 
of the first crystal brook that had occurred 
during the entire weary journey from the 
sea-coast. 

Three thousand feet above the ocean, 
with an invigorating breeze and a cloudy 
sky, the climate of this principal pass into 
Southern Abyssinia, was that of a fine 
summer's day in England, rather than of 
the middle of July between the tropics. 
Here for the first time during the pilgrim- 
age, the tent was erected under the shade 
of a wide-spread ing tamarind , which, among 
many other trees of noble growth, graced 
the sequestered spot. Above the surround- 



ing foliage the long white roofs of many 
of the royal magazines were visible, perch- 
ed high on the blue mountain side. In the 
forked branches overhead were piled hay- 
stack-looking nests of gigantic dimensions, 
thatched with every attention to neatness 
and comfort — the small aperture left by the 
feathered architect turned in every instance 
to the eastward, and carefully secured from 
the weather ; and perched on every twig, 
an assemblage of strange birds displayed 
their gay glittering plumage, or filled the 
cool air with melodious song. 

But from the summit of an adjacent ba- 
saltic knoll, which was ascended toward 
the close of day, there burst upon the de- 
lighted gaze a prospect more than ever 
alluring of the Abyssinian Alps. Hill rose 
above hill, clothed in the most luxuriant 
and vigorous vegetation. Mountain tow- 
ered over mountain in a smiling chaos of 
disorder ; and the soaring peaks of the most 
remote range threw their hoary heads, 
sparkling with a white mantle of hail, far 
into the cold azure sky. Villages and 
^hamlets embosomed in dark groves of ever- 
greens were grouped in Arcadian repose. 
Rich fields of every hue chequered the deep 
lone valley ; and the sun, bidding a diur- 
nal farewell to his much-loved plains of the 
east, shot a last stream of golden light, va- 
ried as the hues of the Iris, over the min- 
gled beauties of wild woodland scenery, 
and the labors of the Christian husbandman. 

No delegate with greetings from the ne- 
goos awaiting the British embassy, and the 
frontier town of Farri, where caravans are 
received by his majesty's officers, being 
now only five miles distant, a letter was 
prepared, of which Mohammad Ali volun- 
teered to be the bearer. In signifying gra- 
cious acquiescence to this arrangement, 
the ras el kafilah gravely intimated that the 
escort of Hy Somauli spearmen, furnished 
at Killulloo by Ibrahim ibn Hame'i'do, de- 
clined permitting the departure of the son 
of Ali Abi, until they should have received 
the sum at which they were pleased to es- 
timate their services. Little reason exist- 
ing to be satisfied with the vigilance of this 
band of warriors, not one of the component 
members whereof, Doctor Syntax inclusive, 
had adopted the plan proposed by the poet 
for lengthening the days of existence by 
stealing a few hours from the night, com- 
pliance to the full extent of the exorbitant 
demand had previously been evaded. But 
as Izhak, in whom the truth was not, now 
falsely asserted and maintained that the 
akil had taken his personal security for 
the sum, and as it was obviously of the last 
importance that arrival on the frontier 



THE ABOGAZ OF THE FRONTIER. 



101 



should be timely reported, the money was 
reluctantly paid, and the courier set forth 
on his journey. 

Rain was again ushering in the early 
hours of the night, when the unpleasant 
intelligence arrived thata certain Wulasma 
Mohammad was the delinquent, and that 
he had contrived effectually to thwart the 
intentions of his royal master. The king 
had commanded that his British visitors 
should be received on the western bank of 
the Ha wash by an escort of honor. Under 
the commander-in-chief of the body-guard, 
three hundred matchlockmen had been for 
this purpose detached from the troops on 
service with his majesty, and had actually 
reached Farri, whence the jealous Moslem 
had dared to send them back upon the ri- 
diculous pretext of being unable to obtain 
any tidings of the expected Franks. 

This important functionary, in addition 
to his office of state-jailer, is the hereditary 
abogaz of the Mohammadan population of 
Argobba on the east of Shoa, and the na- 
ture of his government exalts him in the 
eyes of all to the importance of a king. 
With the title of wulasma — a word of 
uncertain derivation, known to Ludolf, the 
great historian of Abyssinia, who styles the 
dignitary " Pro rex of Efat" — he possesses 
unbounded influence over the frontier, his 
immediate duties being to preserve amica- 
ble relations with the Adaiel occupying the 
plain of the Ha. wash, and to protect kafi- 
lahs and merchants arriving from the inde- 
pendent principality of Hurrur, or from the 
coast of Tajilra. His functions as keeper 
of the state prison secure for him the re- 
spect of all, Christians as well as Islams, 
who have the fear of a dungeon before their 
eyes ; and although numerous abogasoch 
or wulasmoch, governors of small detach- 
ed provinces, share his power, the name 
and influence of all are dim under the light 
that glares from his loop-holed residence at 
Goncho. 

It is the invariable policy of the haughty 
abogaz to assume the great man to all 
travellers, since it is generally understood 
that through him alone foreigners can be 
received and forwarded, or if necessary, 
presented to the negoos. This arrange- 
ment involves not only trouble, but con- 
siderable expense ; his despotic majesty 
claiming the prerogative of franking every 
visitor through his territories, and a portion 
of the attendant outlay falling upon the 
functionary who may be honored with the 
royal commands. 

Openly opposed to European innovation, 
Mohammad particularly disliked the advent 
of the British embassy, and was obviously 



doing his utmost to thwart the more liberal 
views of the crown, by treating the stran- 
gers with disrespect. The imperial order 
that an escort of matchlockmen should for 
the first time cross the hill frontier, and 
proceed into the plain of the Hawash, to 
do honor to the Christian guests, not only 
rankled in his Moslem breast, but was cal- 
culated to interfere with his resolution to 
preserve inviolate the avenues to the sea- 
coast. His intrigues had rendered abor- 
tive all attempts to communicate with the 
court ; and while the approach of the em- 
bassy was not reported until its actual ar- 
rival at Dathara, his noncompliance with 
the order given had resulted most preju- 
dicially, the Danakil guides being now 
more than ever unwilling to persuade them- 
selves that the party would be welcome. 

Preparations were making the following 
morning to continue the march to Farri, 
when the burly functionary was seen pom- 
pously approaching with measured step, 
followed by a retinue of many hundred 
armed followers, whose shaven heads rose 
unturbaned above flowing white mantles. 
Far from announcing himself in the cus- 
tomary manner, he remained seated in por- 
tentous dignity, beneath the shade of a 
venerable tamarind by the road-side, until, 
every camel having been loaded, the cara- 
van was moving off the ground. A peremp- 
tory message was received through one 
of his myrmidons, to the effect, that he 
stood strictly charged with the king's com- 
mands to suffer not one of the party to ad- 
vance until the next day, and that he was 
prepared to enforce the interdiction. There 
seemed little reason to doubt of this being 
a premeditated falsehood, as it afterward 
proved to be ; but the ras el kafilah having 
heard the injunction repeated in presence 
of the Wulasma Suleiman Moosa, abogaz 
of Channoo, as coming direct from his ma- 
jesty, timidly declined any infringement, 
and again threw down the loads. 

Condescending at length in moody sul- 
lenness to approach with his host of re- 
tainers, the triumphant potentate, armed 
with the rosary, or chaplet of one hundred 
beads, which denoted his intolerant faith, 
squeezed his pursy figure into a chair, 
and composed himself with much apparent 
satisfaction at the success which had at- 
tended his scheme of opposition. A de- 
bauched, ill-favored, bloated specimen of 
mortality, the lines of intemperance were 
deeply graven on his truculent visage, 
which was at once cunning, sinister, and 
forbidding. But the party were not long 
troubled with his obnoxious presence. 
The reception he experienced, although 



102 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



civil, was distant and studiously formal, 
and the sun, beating in a full blaze upon 
his bald crown, rendered his position so 
extremely untenable, that after stiffly mur- 
muring replies to the customary inquiries 
anent the health and well-being of his 
august master, he rose unceremoniously, 
and abruptly withdrew. 

Throughout this brief and very unbend- 
ing interview, a brawny retainer stood 
behind the chair, denuded to the waist. 
In his right hand he ostentatiously dis- 
played the chief jailer's sword of state — 
a short heavy blade upon the model of the 
old Roman falchion, inclosed in a scab- 
bard of massive silver ; and his left arm 
supported a buckler of stiff bull's-hide, 
elaborately emblazoned with crescents and 
brass studs. The benevolent and prepos- 
sessing aspect of the Wulasma Suleiman 
Moosa, who occupied a second seat, offered 
a striking contrast to the repulsive arro- 
gance ot his scowling colleague. On his 
right side, protruding upward with the 
curve of a scorpion's tail, he v^bre a semi- 
circular weapon, also denominated a 
sword, though in fact more nearly allied to 
a reaping-hook — a proud badge of office, 
with a fluted tulip-shaped termination to 
the silver scabbard, which, according to 
the wont of the despot, had been confer- 
red on the occasion of his first installation 
in office, but which ludicrously interfered 
with comfort in an arm-chair. 

During the residue of the day, the con- 
duct of the state-jailer was perfectly in 
unison with his character and previous 
hostile proceedings. He brought the white 
visitors neither presents nor supplies, ac- 
cording to the rules of Abyssinian hospi- 
tality; and although made fully aware 
that the camp was drained of provisions, 
prevented purchases by the undue exer- 
cise of his influence and authority. A 
pelting rain during the night, from which 
his sleek person was defended by naught 
save the pervious branches of a tamarind, 
had not tended to soften the asperities, or 
to alleviate the sourness of his aspect, 
when the day dawned ; and it was only 
on finding the party prepared to advance 
at the hazard of forcible opposition, that 
he finally yielded the point, and betwixt 
his closed teeth muttered his grumbling 
consent to an arrangement which he felt 
longer unable with prudence to oppose- 
" The English are a great nation," whis- 
pered the nephew of Ali Shermarki, as he 
passed the haughty abogaz, " and you had 
better take care to treat them civilly. 
Wultahi ! one of their ships of war would 
carry this kafilah over the water, and you 



and all your host of followers into the 
bargain." 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

DINOMALI. GREETINGS FROM THE NEG008 
AT FARRI, ON THE FRONTIER OF HIS 
DOMINIONS. 

Gradually ascending through a hilly 
and well-wooded country, still a positive 
garden of the wild aloe, the road now 
led through a succession of deep glades, 
which opened in turn upon verdant moun- 
tain scenery ; and at an early hour, after 
the first signs of cultivation had been af- 
forded in the truly grateful sight of ploughs 
turning up the soil, the tents were erected 
on the open plain of Dinomali. 

At this, the frontier station of Argobba, 
are levied the royal import duties of ten 
per cent.; and a scene of noise, bustle, 
and confusion did not fail to ensue, such 
as is wont to attend the arrival of every 
caravan. In his character of collector- 
general of customs, the pompous wulas- 
ma took seat below a tree in the centre, 
while his myrmidons, beleaguering every 
load the moment it was removed from the 
camel, prevented all access on the part of 
the owner, until scrutinizing search had 
been instituted by the secretary for the 
salt trade, and the imperial scribes had, 
by a tedious process denominated writing, 
completed an inventory of contents. From 
time immemorial, it had been the law of 
the realm to regard the despotic ruler as 
the proprietor of every movable in the 
land ; and it was not without many looks 
of incredulity and amazement, that the 
custom-house officers now received the 
astounding intimation, that they would 
touch the baggage of the British embassy 
at their peril. 

Thus for the first time thwarted in their 
prerogative of forcing open boxes, and in- 
specting the wares they contained, Debte- 
ra Tekla Zion and his brother scribes were 
tempted to attribute the opposition offered 
to the truth of a vague report already cur- 
rent, that a foreign king was being smug- 
gled into Abyssinia for evil. And they 
were still standing in mute astonishment, 
with idle ink-horns dangling from their 
hands, lost in conjecture of the probable 
consequences involved by the unprecedent- 
ed interference exercised, when a message 
was received, expressive of the compli- 
ments and best wishes of Sahela Selassie. 
Still at a distance from Ankoker, his ma- 
jesty had resolved, in order to hasten the 



ESCORT OF HONOR—FINAL ADVANCE. 



103 



Interview with his guests, to proceed at 
once to the capital, whither the English 
were invited to repair with all possible ex- 
pedition. 

The arrival of this unlooked-for saluta- 
tion, which was coupled with an affirmative 
answer to a request previously made, that 
the presents in charge of the embassy 
might neither be interfered with, nor sub- 
jected to the usual custom-house scrutiny 
when crossing the frontier, had the effect 
of bringing to his senses the overbearing 
wulasma; and, in accordance with the 
king's instructions, oxen, sheep, bread, 
beer, and hydromel were liberally supplied 
without another moment's demur. But a 
freslj source of delay and annoyance forth- 
with arose on the part of the ras el kafilah, 
whose latent object being to transfer the 
charge of Danakil caravans from the hands 
of the corpulent and now civil jailer, to 
those of Wulasma Suleiman Moosa, made 
the acceptance of supplies at the hand of 
the former a pretext for throwing up his 
functions and setting out to Ankober, ex- 
claiming as he mounted his mule in a tow- 
ering passion, for the avowed purpose of 
laying his complaint at the footstool of the 
throne, "Am not I the brother of the Sul- 
tan of Tajura ?" 

But the furious elder had not proceeded 
far on his adventurous journey, ere his 
ears were saluted by repeated discharges 
of musketry, accompanied by martial mu- 
sic, and a solemn vocal chorus. These 
served to announce the advent of Ayto 
Katama, commander-in-chief of the impe- 
rial body-guard, with the escort of honor, 
consisting of three hundred matchlockmen, 
who were to have received the embassy on 
the banks of the Hawash. The arrival of 
this important personage, whose school- 
boyish sallies ill became his years and high 
military functions, was speedily followed 
by the appearance of Ayto Wolda Hana, 
governor of Ankober, and first nobleman 
in the realm, also fraught with congratu- 
lations. His presence had the effect of 
recalling the irritated ras to a sense of duty ; 
and no efficient carriage having been pro- 
vided by the abogaz,it was finally arranged 
after many difficulties, objections, and dis- 
putes, that the baggage should be trans- 
ported to Farri, other two miles in advance, 
where Mohammadan porters could be ob- 
tained in sufficient numbers to convey it to 
its final destination — the mountains in ev- 
ery part being deemed quite inaccessible 
to the camel. 

Although the distance from Farri did 
not exceed a mile, the lateness of the hour 
at which this accommodation was vouch- 



safed, rendered it impossible to carry the 
measure into effect until the following day. 
The governor of Ankober meanwhile po- 
litely insisted upon charging himself with 
the baggage, his officious zeal extending 
even to the effects of private individuals, 
whereby much inconvenience was entailed. 
But notwithstanding his garulous protest- 
ations, and the presence of so large a body 
of the royal troops, everything was finally 
left unprotected ; and, before his negli- 
gence was discovered, four of the remain- 
ing mules had been stolen from the pickets 
by the marauders who infest the neighbor- 
hood. 

Loaded for the thirty-fifth and last time 
with the baggage of the British embassy, 
the caravan, escorted by the detachment of 
Ayto Katama, with flutes playing and 
muskets echoing, and the heads of the 
warriors decorated 'with white plumes, in 
earnest of their bold exploits during the 
late expedition, advanced on the afternoon 
of the 16th of July, to Farri, the frontier 
town of the kingdom of Efat. Clusters 
of conical-roofed houses, covering the 
sloping sides of twin hills which form a 
gorge wherein the royal dues are deposit- 
ed, here presented the first permanent hab- 
itations that had greeted the eye since 
leaving the sea-coast ; rude and ungainly, 
but right welcome signs of transition from 
depopulated wastes to the abodes of man. 

As well from the steepness of the rug- 
ged mountains of Abyssinia, which tow- 
ered overhead, as from the pinching climate 
of their wintry summits, the camel becomes 
useless as a beast of burthen ; and none 
being ever taken beyond the frontier, many 
of the wulasma's retinue now gazed at 
the ungainly quadrupeds for the first time. 
The " ship of the desert" has been created 
for the especial benefit of sultry, arid, and 
waterless plains, such as those now cross- 
ed, where no other domesticated animal 
could long exist ; but where, even under 
the most scorching radiation of heat, when 
the skin peels from the parched lips of the 
pilgrim, and the horizon beams as with the 
fires of an hundred volcanoes, the soft 
lustrous eye of the patient dromedary loses 
not a jot of its wonted brilliancy. But 
numbers had been dreadfully wrung during 
the tedious march, those especially which 
carried tent-poles and other unmanageable 
burdens ; and among others, two of the 
finest had sunk under the weight of the 
galloper-gun. No sooner was the load 
now removed, than a swarm of parasitic 
birds, with brilliant golden eyes, here for 
the first time seen, swarmed around the 
galled part, and having dived into the gap- 



104 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ing wounds, without causing perceptible 
annoyance to the sufferer, became so en- 
grossed in the removal of ticks and mag- 
gots with their crimson bills, that several 
were made prisoners with the hand. 

Boxes and bales as they arrived were 
deposited within a stone inclosure in the 
centre of the area ; and the bloated wul- 
asma, again seated in regal dignity beneath 
an ancient acacia, which threw its slender 
shade over the heterogeneous pile, placing 
Ayto Wolda Hana upon his right hand, 
with the aid of the royal scribes and their 
inkhorns commenced an inventory de novo. 
Vigorous attempts to force open the cases 
were once more resisted, with complete 
success. Earnest expostulations tried in 
turn by the Moslem and the Christian, 
were alike unheeded ; and amid noise, 
clamor, and confusion, such as could ill be 
described, the inquisitive functionaries 
were fain, as before, to content themselves 
with a list of packages in the gross. Rough 
conjectural estimates of the number of 
muskets contained in each matted roll, 
were, however, clandestinely formed, by 
dint of squeezing and pinching ; and these 
too were committed to writing, as though 
fears were entertained lest the king might 
now, in his own dominions, be defrauded 
of a portion of the investment transported 
in safety thither from a distant land. 

Hajji Mohammad, a respectable old slave- 
dealer in the suite of the abogaz, had du- 
ring this interim obligingly undertaken to 
solve certain puzzling geographical ques- 
tions proposed, and with a staff was me- 
thodically tracing on the sand, for the 
edification of his European audience, the 
position of the Hawash in its upper course. 
An insane old Hassoba, long resident at 
Farri, whose head labored under the effect 
of sundry wounds received in youth, had 
unfortunately become violently excited by 
too copious libations in honor of the safe 
arrival of his clansmen. To the annoy- 
ance of every one, he had been bawling 
incessantly for many hours, and he pres- 
ently staggered up to ascertain if he could 
throw light upon the subject under dis- 
cussion. 

"What do you know about the Ha- 
wash?" he exclaimed, in a violent passion, 
as the name of the lone river fell upon his 
ear — "Pray where did you learn about the 
Hawash, or the Ittoo, or the Aroosi ?"— - 
and suiting the action to the word, his 
cudgel rattled heavily over the crown of 
the unoffending pilgrim to the shrine of 
the Prophet. Nettled at this unprovoked 
assault, the venerable man retorted with 
interest — blows pattered thick and fast, a 



crowd collected, creeses were drawn, and 
the friends of the respective parties felt 
themselves bound to interfere. The bel- 
ligerent Hajji was held to prevent his com- 
mitting murder ; and the Adel geographer, 
as he walked reluctantly away, under a 
shower of stones, turning frequently to 
breathe defiance to the object of his ire, 
repeated with a sneer, " Here is the Ha- 
wash indeed ; what the devil does that old 
donkey know about the Hawash !" 

Meanwhile arrived a special messenger, 
bearing reiterated compliments from the 
negoos, with a horse and a mule from the 
royal stud, attired in the peculiar trappings 
and colors which in Shoa pertain solely to 
majesty. The bridles and breastplates 
glittered with studs and bosses of polished 
metal ; gay embroidery in colored worsted 
covered the saddle-cloth of the mule, and a 
collection of silver chains, jingles, and bells, 
encircled her neck. At sight hereof, wo- 
men and girls enveloped in blood-red shifts, 
who had thronged to the busy scene to 
stare at the white strangers, at once burst 
into a loud scream of acclamation. A 
group of hooded widows, occupying an 
adjacent public asylum, thrust their fingers 
into their ears, and joined in the clamor. 
Escort and camel-drivers, now at their 
journey's end, had placed no bounds to 
their hilarity. A fat Ox, that had been 
promised, was turned loose among the 
spectators — pursued by fifty savages with 
gleaming creeses — and ham-strung by a 
dexterous blow, which threw it bellowing 
to the earth in the height of its mad career. 
The rival clans of lean curs, that are re- 
spectively quartered on the dung-heaps of 
the twin hills, and suffer no intrusions into 
each other's domains, rushed to the neu- 
tral ground, and forthwith commenced an 
indiscriminate engagement over the gar- 
bage ; and while Debtera Tekla Zion, still 
counting and recounting, amended his long 
list with untiring perseverance, crowds of 
porters and lounging visitors added the 
mite of their united voices to the din, tu- 
mult, and intolerable uproar which contin- 
ued until close of day. 

Predatory incursions of the Galla upon 
the Argobba frontier are frequent, and not 
many weeks had passed away since six of 
the king's liege subjects were murdered 
within the precincts of the encamping 
ground. In defiance of tempestuous weath- 
er, two European soldiers and an officer 
had been on guard without shelter during 
every night of the long and tedious march, 
and the sergeant of the escort had every 
hour personally relieved the sentries : but 
the exposed position of the baggage, added 



2- 




3 3 



3 j 



THE TRIBE ADALI— DEBENIK WOEMA. 



105 



to the evil character borne by the spot, and 
the experience already gained at Dinomali, 
still precluded the discontinuance of watch 
and ward, whereof all were heartily weary. 

In the dead of night an alarm caused all 
to spring from their couches on the hard 
ground, and to stand prepared for the re- 
ception of an unseen foe, whose approach 
was announced by the blast of some hide- 
ous warhorn. Halters had been broken, 
and mules and horses were charging over 
the tent ropes, nor was the real cause of 
the confusion discovered for some minutes. 
A thirsty dog, unacquainted with the arti- 
fice resorted to by the fox that needed 
water, had recklessly thrust his mangy 
head so deep into an earthen jar, that he 
was unable to withdraw it, and rushing he 
knew not whither, was giving vent through 
his strange proboscis to fearful hollow 
groans, which might well have instilled 
terror into the breast of the superstitious, 
and did not fail to elicit ceaseless howls 
from the canine occupants of the dunghill. 

The delinquent was shot, and order be- 
ing at length restored, those who were en- 
titled to slumber again proceeded to avail 
themselves of the privilege. After pacing 
his beat some hours beyond the wonted 
period of relief, the sentinel who mounted 
at midnignt, hailed the officer on duty. 
Receiving no reply to the challenge, he 
approached the door of the tent, and there, 
sad to relate, the first breach of discipline 
was detected on the part of the guardian 
of the camp, who, worn out by incessant 
vigils, was on this, his last watch, lying 
fast asleep upon his post, with a pistol in 
each hand ! 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

A FARTING TRIBUTE OF GRATITUDE IN- 
SCRIBED TO THE PEOPLE OF ADEL. 

Tradition asserts that prior to the in- 
vasion of Graan, " the mighty Adel mon- 
arch," who overran and dismembered once 
powerful Ethiopia, the eastern limit of the 
empire was Jebel Aiiilloo, known to tb^ 
Abyssinians as Mount Azulo. But. al- 
though frequently invaded, no portion of 
the wide plain of the Hawash has been 
reconquered, whether by Sahels Selassie, 
or by his ancestors. The relatives of cer- 
tain of those in authority have been made 
prisoners by trea.chery, and as hostages are 
held in close durance by the king, but the 
Doasted influence of the abogaz is princi- 
pally supported by conciliation, and by the 
annual presentation of cloths and sp 
8 



to the various chiefs and elders — a mea- 
sure having for its object to preserve the 
avenues to the sea-coast, and to the Bahr 
Assal, whereon Shoa and Efat are almost 
entirely dependent for foreign wares, and 
for salt, which the country does not pro- 
duce. 

The powerful independent chieftain of 
the principal section of Gibdosa, who oc- 
cupy the detached hill of Rasa, across the 
Robi river, northward of Dinomali, is one 
of those in nominal alliance with the ne- 
goos ; but his wild Moslems make con- 
stant predatory inroads upon the frontier 
of Argobba, slaying Christians and Mo- 
hammadans of either sex, without com- 
punction ; and the policy of his majesty 
prohibiting retaliation, however aggravated 
the outrage, Anbassa Ali, or " the Lion," 
who like Esau of old is said to be covered 
with hair from the crown of the head even 
unto the sole of the foot, not unfrequently 
makes hostile demonstrations in person, 
which require all the wulasma's tact and 
diplomatic cunning to avert. 

From Hao, on the eastern side of the 
Hawash, to Farri, the intervening tract, 
under the nominal jurisdiction of Moham- 
mad Abogaz, is in occupation of a mixed 
nomade population, not remarkable for their 
honesty, and composed from numerous 
subdivisions of the Danakil, but principal- 
ly from the Burhanto or Adali, under ibn 
Hamed deen Hassan. This latter, which 
takes Ada'iel in the plural, is the clan of 
the reigning Sultan of Taj lira ; and being 
in days of yore the most powerful and im- 
portant tribe in the nation, its name has 
been imparted to the entire country, now 
corrupted into Adel. 

In time of war with the adjacent Galla, 
on the south, or when called upon to repel 
the predatory mvasions of the Muda'i'to, 
the tribes we?cward of the Hawash assem- 
ble with tke Tukhaiel, the Debeni, the 
Dermeia, the Rookhba, the Woema, and 
the Hy Sornauli, the extent of whose re- 
spective territories has already been de- 
fbed. These, with the Abli or Dinserra, 
under Mohammad Ali, surnamed Jeroaa, 
or " the Thief,*' which is the tribe of Ha- 
med Buna"i'to, present wuzir and heir-appa- 
rent to the throne of Tajura — the Adaneito 
and Nakur, under Shehem Mulakoe — the 
Dondametta, the Duttagoora, and the Hus- 
soba, led respectively by Ahmed Ka.mil, 
Sheikh Deeni, and Deeni ibn Ibrahim — 
collectively assume the title of Debenik- 
Woema, k being the Dankali conjunction. 

Adalo bin Hamed, who leads a section 
of the Gibdosa encamped at Haode and 
Dunne, occasionally unite? with the De- 



106 



HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



benik-W&ema in the time of their need, 
but he is held virtually independent. The 
fourth and last section of the Debeni, under 
the authority of Mahmoodi, has its tents 
at the isolated volcanic mountain of Fan- 
tali, southward of Dinomali, where reside 
also the united Ada'iel clans Ulua'ito, Muf- 
fa, and Eyrolasso, under the great "brave" 
Lamdllifan. 

These tribes occupy the whole extent 
of country between Abyssinia and Mirsa 
Rahei'ta, near the entrance to the Red 
Sea, the head-quarters of Roofa Boorhan, 
sheikh of a subdivision of the Duttagoora. 
Thence they stretch along the coast to the 
south-eastward, and from Goobut el Kha- 
rab, between the parallels, bounded on the 
south by the Eesah and other Somauli 
tribes, and flanked on the north by the 
Mudaito. 

The Ada'iel or Danakil population, which, 
including the Mudaito, extends as far as 
Arkeeko, entitles itself Afer, and claims to 
be descended from Arab invaders, who, in 
the seventh century of the Christian era, 
overran and colonized the low tract which 
forms a zone between the Abyssinian Alps 
and the coast of the Red Sea. To a cer- 
tain extent, the northern tribes are subject 
to the Nayib of Arkeeko, whose authority 
is recognized in much the same proportion 
as that of the feeble Suhan of Tajiira by 
the southern clans ; but, although speaking 
the same language, they can hardly be said 
to constitute a nation, being so widelv dis- 

ii 

persed, that for many days together not a 
trace of man is to be discovered over the 
joyless deserts which form the lot of h;s 
inheritance, scorched by an ardent sun, 
and alive only with ; ' moving pillars of 
sand." 

From time immemorial, every individual 
has been his own king. L\ch marauding 
community is marked by a wild independ- 
ence ; and the free spirit of tire whole is 
to be traced in the rapine, discord, and 
bloodshed, which universally pr&yail. 
Theirs is "an iron sky, and a soil of bra^," 
where the clouds drop little rain, and the 
earth yields no vegetation. It is no ' : land 
of rivers of waters," nor have the " lines 
fallen in pleasant places." The desert 
stretches far on every side, strewed with 
black boulders of heated lava, and en\ el- 
oped by a glowing atmosphere. In this 
country of perfidy and vindictive ferocity, 
the proprietors of the barren land murder 
every stranger who shall intrude ; and the 
common benefits of water are an object of 
perpetual contest. Reprisal and revenge 
form the guiding maxim of all. Monsters, 
not men, their savage propensities are por- 



trayed in a dark and baleful eye, and the 
avenger of blood is closely dogging the 
footsteps of one half the population. 

As laziness is the chief source of Afri- 
can misery at large, so is it with the Dan- 
akil in particular. They possess that 
" conceit in their misery," which induces 
them to despise the labors of the cultivator; 
and such is the characteristic want of wa- 
ter, that, excepting at Aussa, agriculture 
is unknown, even in its rudest form. A 
pastoral, itinerant, and belligerent people, 
divided into endless clans and ramifications, 
under divers independent chieftains, their 
mode of living entitles them to rank only 
one step in civilization above the positive 
savage, who depends for daily subsistence 
upon the chase and upon the spontaneous 
productions of nature. 

Born to the spear, and bred in eternal 
strife with his predatory neighbors, each 
lawless member of the straggling commu- 
nity inherits the untameable spirit of the 
descendants of Ishmael ; and it is made 
subservient to all the worst vices and pas- 
sions inherent, in the semi-barbarian. In 
his very attitude and bearing, there is that 
which proclaims him, in his own opinion, 
lord of the universe, entitled to enjoy, with 
a thankless heart, all that he is capable of 
enjoying. No favor claims his gratitude 
— nothing demands a thought beyond the 
present moment. Unlike the Arab Be- 
douin, he is too indolent and improvident 
during seasons of plenty, to convert the 
produce of his flocks and herds into a store 
against, the coming day of drought and 
famine. Gorged to repletion, the residue 
is suffered to go to waste : and so long as 
his belly is full, his licentiousness gratified, 
and he has leisure to lounge about in list- 
less idleness, the measure of his happiness 
is complete, and the sun may rise and set 
without his troubling his head as to the 
mode in which the day has been passed, 
or how the next meal is to be provided. 

Many of the Ada'iel are extensive own- 
ers of camels, and deal largely in slaves — 
a trade which yields three hundred per 
cent., with the least possible risk or trouble 
to the merchant : but when not upon the 
journey periodically undertaken to acquire 
the materials for this traffic, all lead a life 
of indolence and gross sensuality — eating, 
sleeping, and indulging in the baser pas- 
sions, accord'mg to the bent of their vicious 
inclinations. Their delight is to be dirty 
and to be idle. They wear the same cloth, 
without ablution, until it fairly drops from 
the back ; and abhorring honest labor, 
whether rgricultural or handicraft, pass 
the day in drowsiness, or in the enjoyment 



TOILET AND COSTUME OF THE DANAKIL. 



107 



of a quiet seat before the hamlet, where I a comb, and is often fancifully carved and 
the scandal of the community is retailed, provided with two or even three pronffs. 



Basking in the sun, and arranging their 
curly locks with the point of the skewer, 
they here indulge in unlimited quantities 
of snuff, and mumble large rolls of tobacco 
and ashes, which are so thrust betwixt the 
under lip and the white teeth, as to impart 
the unseemly appearance of a growing 
wen, and if temporarily removed, are inva- 
riably deposited behind the left ear. No 
race of men stink more offensively ; but 
while polluting the atmosphere with rancid 
tallow and putrid animal intestines, they 
never condescend to approach a Christian 
without holding their own noses ! 

Among the Danakil are to be found some 
of the most scowling, ill-favored, and hid- 
eous-looking savages in the universe, but 
the features of the majority have an Arab 
cast, which supports the legend of their 
origin ; and notwithstanding the influence 
exerted upon the lineaments by passions 
uncontrolled, the expression of many is 
pleasing, and even occasionally intellec- 
tual. All are muscular and active, but 
singularly scraggy and loosely knit, and 
to an easy, shuffling gait, is added a na- 
tional addiction to standing cross-legged. 
Young as well as old take infinite pains 
to disfigure the person, and thus to render 



The operation of greasing this wig with- 
out the aid of the barber, is original. A 
lump of raw fat, cut from the overgrown tail 
of the Berbera sheep, having been some time 
masticated and mumbled, is expelled into 
the hands, betwixt the palms of which it 
is reduced by rubbing to a suitable consist- 
ency, and then transferred en masse to the 
crown. Exposure to the fierce rays of a 
tropical sun soon conveys the desired nour- 
ishment to the roots of the hair. A num- 
ber of jets and brilliants, which first adorn 
the periwig, are presently fried into oily 
shreds, and the liquid tallow, adulterated 
with dirt, trickling in streams adown the 
swarthy visage and over the neck, exhales 
the most sickening of odors. All, howev- 
er, cannot afford this luxury of the toilet, 
nor is it every one who can resist the 
temptation of swallowing the dainty mor- 
sel when once consigned to the mouth ; 
and hence is seen many a poll of sun-burnt 
hair, in color and consistency, resembling 
the housemaid's cobweb broom, which is 
quaintly denominated " the pope's head." 
The simple costume of the Bedouin con- 
sists of a piece of checked cloth wrapped 
loosely about the loins, descending to the 
knee? so as to resemble a kilt or short pet- 



it ferocious in appearance. Scars obtained I ti*oat ; while a cotton robe is thrown over 



in brawls and conflicts, from stones and 
cold steel, are esteemed the highest orna- 
ments ; and the breast and stomach are 
usually seamed with a mystic -naze of 
rhombs and reticulated triano-Jcs, produced 
by scarification with a sWp fragment of 
obsidian, so as to resemble the plan of a 
fortified town of dap* gone by. 

The upper lip is denuded with the creese, 
and the scanty beard suffered to flourish 
in curls along the'cheek and over the chin ; 
while the hair, coarse and long, saturated 
with grease and mutton fat from infancy, 
and exposed during life to the fiercest sun, 
becomes crisped into a thick curly mop, 
like a counsellor's wig, which is shaved 
behind on a line between the ears, and con- 
stitutes the first great pride of the proprie- 
tor. The picking it out into a due spheri- 
cal form, affords employment during his 
ample leisure, and the contemplation of its 
wild perfection, is the predominant object 
when a mirror is placed within his grasp. 
Baldness commences at an early age, and 
many of the ancient dandies seek protec- 
tion from the solar influence under sheep- 
skin perukes of preposterous size, their 
artificial curls, in common with those that 
are natural, displaying an ornamented 
wooden spike or bodkin, which serves as 
8* 



J the shoulder after the manner of the Roman 
toga. Miserly in disposition, few outward 
ornaments grace his person, save an occa- 
sional necklace of fat, and a few armlets 
and bracelets composed of certain potent 
passages from the Koran, either stitched in 
leather or enveloped in colored thread. A 
thong adorned with a metal button, girds 
to the right hip of old and young a creese 
two feet in length, the wooden hilt of which 
is decorated with a pewter stud, while the 
scabbard is ornamented with an aromatic 
sprig, employed as a tooth-brush, and mas- 
ticated for hours together. 

Three inches broad in the blade, and 
possessing a truly murderous crook in the 
centre, the creese is doubtless a most for- 
midable weapon at close quarters. With 
it the Danakil builds his house; with it he 
slays the animal, and flays the carcass. It 
is his sword in battle, his knife at the ta- 
ble, his razor at the toilet, his hatchet, and 
his nail-parer. A savage desirous of illus- 
trating the most approved exercise, after 
whetting the blade upon a stone, capers 
about describing a series of flourishes and 
cuts, both under and over the shield, stab- 
bing and parrying to the right and to the 
left, until at length comes the last grand 
touch of disembowelment, when a ripping 



108 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



motion is accompanied by a bound into the 
air, and a howl of perfect satisfaction, such 
as might be conjectured to issue from the 
jaws of the glutted vampire. 

The spear, which is seldom out of the 
hand of the Danakil, is some seven feet 
in length, a shaft of tough close-grained 
wood called " adepto," being heavily poised 
with metal at the butt, and topped by a 
blade from ten to fifteen inches long, by 
three broad, reduced to as keen an edge 
as constant scouring with sand and grease 
can impart. Great aversion is entertained 
to this weapon being stepped over, and its- 
fall to the ground, independently of the 
damage that might be sustained, is regard- 
ed as an evil omen, and believed to destroy 
its power over the flesh and blood of an ene- 
my. The spear of a chief only is mount- 
ed with bands of brass and copper wire, 
but the points of all are graced alike with a 
lump of sheep's-tail fat. Although some- 
times employed as a missive, the pike ex- 
ercise is more usually resorted to — the 
warrior stealing onward in a crouching 
position, and springing suddenly, with a 
yell and a cat-like bound, to transfix the 
body pf his foe. " None but a woman 
would retain the spear in the hour of bat- 
tle," quoth one of the braves — " the creese 
is the hand to hand weapon !" 

The shield, fashioned out of the fevlff 
hide of the baeza, or of the wild buffalo, 
is a perfect circle, of from one to two feet 
in diameter, with the rim turned outward, 
and the centre convexed, for the purpose 
of checking the flight or launch of the 
missive. A button or boss which forms 
the apex, is usually adorned with some 
proud trophy of the chase, in addition to 
the red beard of a he-goat, undeviatingly 
attached as a charm. A small bag, slung 
in the interior of the buckler, contains the 
portable wealth of the proprietor, and a 
forked stick is annexed to the handstrap, 
to'admit of suspension to a tree. Enga- 
ged, the w T arrior keeps the shield in a con- 
tinual revolving motion, in strict accord- 
ance with the movement of his eyes, which 
in fierce and violent frenzy are rolled in 
the sockets during the continuance of the 
conflict. 

Cruel, blood-thirsty, and vindictive, the 
Danakil do not possess that spirit of indi- 
vidual enterprise or chivalry, or that reck- 
less disregard of persona.1 danger which, 
to certain races of men, imparts the stamp 
of military habits ; but a season of scar- 
city dooms every neighbor! ng tribe whose 
pastures ai own, 

to invasion, massacre, and pillage. A 
fiendish .'signal for the gather- 



ing of the clan ; and, obedient to the call, 
each man at arms, grasping spear and 
shield, abandons his wretched wigwam 
with truly savage alacrity. His fierce and 
untamed passions now riot uncontrolled, 
and those who during the foray are guilty 
of the greatest enormities, strut about on 
return among their fellows bedecked with 
ostrich plumes, and other badges of dis- 
tinction, reciting each to some wild tune, 
the. tale of his bloody exploits. 

Morose, and possessing little perception 
of the ridiculous, witticisms and hilarity in 
conversation are restricted to the ribald 
jest ; but brawls are frequent, and the bi- 
vouac is often cheered by the wild chorus 
selected from a choice collection breathing 
in every line self-sufficiency and defiance 
to the foe. Accompanied by savage ges- 
tures and contortions — now menacing*", now 
mincing, and now furious — these strains 
are chanted during the livelong night with 
clear and energetic throats, chiefly with the 
design of intimidating; by the noisy clamor, 
any hostile party that may be lurking in the 
vicinity of the encampment, intent either 
upon the requital of injuries done, or the 
acquisition of fame by aggressions unpro- 
voked. 

Superstitious to the last degree, the itin- 
erant Bedouin takes the field arrayed in a 
panoply of amulets, designed as a defence 
ao ainst witchcraft, and to be thrown toward 
tn* enemy in the hour of battle. A verse 
from the Koran, sewn up in leather, and 
hung ab*ut the neck, secures him against 
all incorporeal enemies. No whirlwind ever 
sweeps across il ie path without being pur- 
sued by a dozen sa^ges with drawn crees- 
es, who stab into the centre of the dusty 
column, in order to drive away the evil spi- 
rit that is believed to be riding on the blast. 
All have firm faith in the incarnation of the 
devil, who is described as a monster with 
perpendicular eyes, capable of rolling along 
the ground with the rotatory motion of a 
ball ; and Ibrahim Shehem Abli, a most 
unblushing liar, and no less notable a ne- 
cromancer than warrior, confidently assert- 
ed his individual ability to raise seven hun- 
dred of these demons for evil, during any 
moonlight night of the entire year. 

The mosque and the muezzin have no, 
existence in the interior, where religion 
gradually shades away ; and, unlike the 
people of Tajfira, there is here little exter- 
nal display of Islamism observable, save in 
the bigoted detestation evinced toward those 
of every other than the Mohammadan creed. 
But . and 

rosaries are 111 pre- 

serve their knavish reputations unblem- 



FEMALE CONDITION AND COSTUME. 



109 



ished. The white feather, which in Europe 
is the emblem of cowardice, is appropriately 
placed in the head of these midnight assas- 
sins, and the neighboring tribes have not 
ill-portrayed the "national character in the 
assertion, that " the tongues of the Adaiel 
are long for the express purpose of lying, 
that their arms are long but to admit of 
their pilfering the property of others, and 
that their legs are long in order that they 
may run away like poltroons in the day of 
danger and retribution." 



CJdAFTEK XXXIX. 

THE GENTLE ADAlEL, AND FAREWELL TO 
THEM. 

" Yet one kind kiss before we part, 
Drop a tear, and bid adieu." 

To be the wife of a true believer, in 
whatever state of society, from the most 
refined to the most barbarous, is to be 
cursed in the fullest acceptation of the 
word. But of the two extremes, many, if 
the choice were given, would doubtless pre- 
fer the drudgery that fails to the lot of the 
partner of the untaught savage, with all the 
manifold discomforts attending precarious 
subsistence, to the immolation and seclu- 
sion, which in civilized Mohammadan coun- 
tries, is imposed upon the fairest of God's 
works. Taking no part with her lord in 
the concerns of this world — taught to ex- 
pect no participation in the happiness of 
that which is to come — she is a prisoner 
kept to minister to the lusts of the flesh ; 
and the higher the state of cultivation — the 
more exalted the rank of the captive — so 
much the more rigorous is the restraint 
imposed. 

In the European acceptation of the term, 
small traces are here to be found of the 
sentiment of love ; and jealousy, when it 
does exist, would seldom appear to arise 
from any regard for the object that has cre- 
ated the feeling. The Dankali female has 
contrived to retain her natural right of lib- 
erty ; and so long as the wife performs the 
labor required at her hands, she is at full 
liberty to flirt unreproved, to the full extent 
of her coquettish inclinations. Upon Bai- 
leela devolves the task of leading the fore- 
most camel, or carrying the heavy burthen 
slung by a sharp rope which passes across 
her breast. She fetches water and wood, 
prepares the milk, and boils the meat. She 
it is who weaves mats of the date-leaf for 
the use of her listless and indolent lord ; 
tends his flocks of sheep and goats, dis- 



mantles and erects his wigwam when mi- 
grations are undertaken to distant pools and 
pastures ; and, seated at his feet, chases 
away the flies which disturb his repose be- 
neath the shade of the palm. Here, how- 
ever, the needle is monopolized by the 
male, and he is sometimes to be seen in- 
dustriously stitching a new leathern petti- 
coat for his hard-worked partner, who, 
conscious of the fleeting- nature of her 
charms, makes the utmost of her short 
lease ; and in the nature of her occupation 
finds ample opportunities for indulgence. 

The features of the Bedouin damsel, al- 
though degenerate, resemble those of the 
Arabian mother, from whom she claims de- 
scent ; and so close a similarity pervades 
the community at large, that one mould 
would appear to have been employed for 
every individual composing it. Nature be- 
ing suffered to model her daughters accord- 
ing to her will, their figures during a brief 
period are graceful ; but feminine symme- 
try is soon destroyed by the constant pres- 
sure of heavy loads against the chest, and 
under the fiery heat of her native sands, 
the nymph is presently transformed into 
the decrepit hag, with bent back and wad- 
dling gait. A short apron of bullock's hide, 
with frilled edges, is tied above the hips 
with a broad band, the sport of every wan- 
ton whirlwind ; but from the waist upward 
the person is unveiled. A coif of blue calico 
covers the head of those who have entered 
the conjugal state, while that of the virgin 
is unattired ; but the hair of all is arranged 
in an infinity of elaborate plaits falling to 
the shoulders, and liberally greased. So 
are also sundry narrow bands of raw hide, 
which are usually tied above the ankles by 
way of charms to strengthen the legs, and 
which, contracting as they dry, sink deep 
below the surface of the part compressed. 

A petaled sprig, appearing to grow out 
of the waistband, ascends on either side of 
the spine, in tattooed relief, resembling tam- 
bour work, and diverging .across the ribs, 
finishes in fancy circles around the bosom 
according to the taste of the designer. 
This is a constant quantity, and the charms 
of many a belle are further heightened by 
scarification — an angle to break the even- 
ness of the smooth forehead, or the arc of 
a circle to improve the dimple on the cheek, 
being favorite devices. From the ears of 
all who can afford personal ornament, de- 
pend two conical drops wrought of thick 
brass wire, spirally coiled, resting on a 
curved iron base, and separated by two 
broad horizontal bands of pewter. When 
the wearer is in activity, the flapping of 
these cumbrous metallic appendages is 



110 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ridiculous enough ; and the rattle may be 
heard to a considerable distance, as they 
come into violent collision with a necklace 
composed of a medley of beads, bones, cow- 
ry shells, jingles, and amulets, strung in 
many rows upon a leathern collar embed- 
ded in dirt and grease, and terminating in 
a large rhomb of pewter. Bracelets and 
anklets of the same metal are usual, and 
the ornament of a squalling brat with in- 
flamed weasel-like eyes, slung over the 
back, is rarely wanting to complete the 
figure — a jerk to the right or to the left 
bringing it readily across the shoulder whpn 
occasion demands . 

The Bedouin wigwam — a rectangle of 
eight feet in length by six broadj and five 
high — is constructed of a succession of 
branches in couples, curved before the 
fire, and lashed in the form of a lip-arch. 
A mat composed of date-leaves forms the 
roof; and the whole fabric, wherein the 
hand of no master-builder is visible, is thus 
readily transferred from place to place. 

" Omnia mea mecum fero" 

should form the motto of the wandering 
Dankali, whose only furniture consists of 
a tressel hollowed at the top to serve as a 
pillow — a luxury restricted to the male 
sex. In the huts of the more wealthy, 
wooden platters and ladles sometimes form 
part of the household gear, together with 
closely-woven mat-baskets to contain milk ; 
.but this beverage is more usually consign- 
ed to a bag of sheep or goat-skin — sun- 
dried flesh, grease, grain, and water, being 
lodged also in similar receptacles. 

Milk forms the principal diet of this 
Arcadian race ; and they deride the dwel- 
lers in cities for eating birds or fowls, de- 
claring that the flesh must have travelled 
upon four legs during life, to be at all palata- 
ble. An ancient camel, a buck-goat, or a 
bull-calf, is occasionally slaughtered with a 
hismillah, and the flesh not immediately con- 
sumed, cut into long thin collops, and dried 
in the sun, to be stuffed again into the skin 
for future use. Meat is broiled among 
the embers, upon closely-packed pebbles, 
which prevents it coming into contact with 
the ashes; and the master of the house, 
taking his seat upon the ground beside 
a lump of raw liver, places a wedge-shaped 
stone under either heel, in order to impart 
a slight inclination to the body, and thus 
preserve the balance without personal ex- 
ertion. Picking the bones one by one out 
of the fire, he seizes alternate mouthfuls 
of the grilled and the raw flesh between 
the teeth, and with an upward motion of 
the creese, divides them close to his nose. 



It may be received as an axiom that no 
Bedouin will speak the truth, although the 
doing so might prove to his obvious advan- 
tage. He is not only a liar by the force 
of rooted habit and example, but also upon 
principle, and his oaths are simple matters 
of form. The name of God is invoked, 
and the Koran taken to witness, in false- 
hoods the most palpable ; and to have sworn 
with the last solemnity, is far from being 
regarded in the light of a binding obliga- 
tion. A stone having been cast upon the 
earth, fire is quenched in water, and the 
adjuration repeated : " May this body be- 
come petrified, and may Allah thus ex- 
tinguish me, if I utter that which is not 
true ! : ' 

In conversation a portion of every sen- 
tence is invariably taken up by the person 
addressed — the last word being generally 
considered sufficient, or even an abbrevi- 
ation to the final syllable. The salutation 
of the tribes, between whom little bond 
exists. beyond identity of language, is a 
cold forbidding touch of the ringers, fully 
indicative of the unfriendly sentiments of 
the heart. All prey upon each other, and 
every individual, in whatever rank, is by 
nature, as well as by habit and inclination, 
an assassin. None will hesitate to mutilate 
or barbarously put to death any member 
of another clan whom he may find at advan- 
tage, either sleeping or at a distance from 
succor — the appetite for plunder, and thirst 
for blood, inherent in the breast, being quite 
sufficient to dictate every act of atrocity, 
and to impel every dastardly outrage, that 
a savage can devise or commit. 

Dwelling in a scene of aridity, hostility, 
and bloodshed, traversed by barren chains 
bearing the impress of volcanic desolation, 
and cursed with a soil rarely susceptible 
of cultivation, but still more rarely culti- 
vated, the hand of the roving Bedouin is 
against every man, and every man's hand 
is against him. The truth of the scriptural 
prophecy respecting the untameable de- 
sendants of Ishmael, here as elsewhere is 
well maintained ; nor were the words of the 
poet ever more truly exemplified than in the 
hot weary wastes of the Adaiel : 

" Nothing save rapine, indolence, and guile, 
And woes on woes, a still revolving train, 
Whose horrid circle has made human life 
Than non-existence worse." 

Arrogant, treacherous, and degraded bar- 
barians, bound in the fetters of idleness and 
superstition — dissemblers, whose every 
word is a lie, and whose overbearing and 
unaccommodating disposition grafted upon 
bigoted intolerance, was displayed on every 
occasion, to the personal discomfort of those 



DEPARTURE FROM FARRI. 



Ill 



by whom they were paid and entertained — 
there was never throughout the long, tedi- 
ous, and .trying journey, either on the part 
of elders, escort, or camel-drivers, the 
slightest wish or effort, either to honor or 
oblige ; and it was only on occasions when 
fire-arms, which they could not gainsay, 
might prove of service to thoma©lw>s, that 
the blubber-lip did not swell in scorn at 
the Christian Kafirs, who were sneered at 
even in conversation. And these, too, were 
savages who scarcely knew the use of 
bread, who rarely employed water for the 
ablution of their filthy persons, and who 
kept their heads and bodies floating in a 
perpetual sea of sheep's-tail fat. On taking 
leave of the tormenting fraternity, at this 
the happy termination of a weary and peril- 
ous pilgrimage, which had been performed 
without once taking off the clothes, it may 
safely be averred that no member of the 
British embassy had ever passed so long 
a period with so large a party, without de- 
siring to make further acquaintance with 
at least one individual : but the last touch 
of the cold palm was for once received 
with heartfelt satisfaction, and each bade 
adieu to the whole community with an in- 
ward hope that it might never fall to his 
evil lot to see their scowling faces more. 



CHAPTER XL 

ASCENT OF THE ABYSSINIAN ALPS. 

Having thus happily shaken the Adel 
dust from off the feet, and taken affection- 
ate leave of the greasy Danakil, it is not 
a little pleasant to bid adieu also to their 
scorching plains of unblest sterility. Eve- 
ry change of the soil and climate of Afri- 
ca is in extremes, and barrenness and 
unbounded fertility border on each other, 
with a suddenness whereof the denizens 
of temperate climes can form no concep- 
tion. As if by the touch of the magi- 
cian's wand, the scene now passes in an 
instant, from parched and arid wastes, to 
the green and lovely highlands of Abys- 
sinia, presenting one sheet of rich and 
thriving cultivation. Each fertile knoll is 
crowned with its peaceful hamlet — each 
rural vale traversed by its crystal brook, 
and teeming with herds and flocks. The 
cool mountain zephyr is redolent of eglan- 
tine and jasmine, and the soft green turf, 
spangled with clover, daisies, and butter- 
cups, yields at every step the aromatic fra- 
grance of the mint and thyme. 

The baggage having at length been con- 



signed to the shoulders of six hundred 
grumbling Moslem porters, assembled by 
the royal fiat from the adjacent villages, 
and who, now on the road, formed a Tine 
which extended upward of a mile, the 
embassy, on the morning of the 17th, 
commenced the ascent of the Abyssinian 
Alps. Hitherto, every officious attendant 
functionary had exerted himself to the 
utmost to promote delay, confusion, and 
annoyance ; and each now exhorted the 
respective members of the party to urge 
their jaded beasts to increased speed, and 
hasten onward over a rugged path which, 
in the toil-worn condition of the majority, 
was not to be ascended without consider- 
able difficulty. The king was waxing 
impatient to behold the delighting things 
that had been imported, an account of 
which, so far as the prying eyes of his 
servants had been able to discern, had 
been duly transmitted to the palace ; and 
in order to celebrate the arrival of so 
great an accession of wealth, his majesty's 
flutes once more poured out their melody, 
and his warriors again chanted their wild 
notes among the hills, until far out of hear- 
ing of the astonished population of Farri. 

It was a cool and lovely morning, and a 
fresh invigorating breeze played over the 
mountain side, on which, though less than 
ten degress removed from the equator, flour- 
ished the vegetation of northern climes. 
The rough and stony road wound on by a 
steep ascent over hill and dale — now skirt- 
ing the extreme verge of a precipitous 
cliff — now dipping into the basin of some 
verdant hollow, whence, after traversing 
the pebbly course of a murmuring brook, 
it suddenly emerged into a succession of 
shady lanes, bounded by flowering hedge- 
rows. 

The w T ild rose, the fern, the lantana, 
and the honeysuckle, smiled around a suc- 
cession of highly cultivated terraces, into 
which the entire range was broken by 
banks supporting the soil ; and on every 
eminence stood a cluster of conically- 
thatched houses, environed by green 
hedges, and partially embowered amid 
dark trees. As the troop passed on, the 
peasant abandoned his occupation in the 
field, to gaze at the novel procession ; 
while merry groups of hooded women, 
decked in scarlet and crimson, summoned 
by the renewal of martial strains, left their 
avocations in the hut to welcome the king's 
guests with a shrill zij-oleet, which rang 
from every hamlet. The leather petticoat 
of the wandering shepherdess was no 
longer to be seen. Birds warbled among 
the leafy groves, and throughout the rich 



112 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



landscape reigned an air of peace and 
plenty, that could not fail to prove highly 
delightful after the recent weary pilgrim- 
age across the hot desert. 

At various turns of the road the pros- 
pect was rugged, wild, and beautiful. Ai- 
gibbi, the first Christian village of Efat, 
was soon revealed on the summit of a 
height, where, within an inclosure of 
thorns, repose the remains of a traveller, 
who not long before had closed his eyes on 
the threshold of the kingdom, a victim to 
the pestilential sky of the lowlands. Three 
principal ranges were next crossed in suc- 
cession, severally intersected by rivulets 
which are all tributary to the Hawash, 
although the waters are for the most part 
absorbed before they reach that stream. 
Lastly, the view opened upon the wooded 
site of Ankober, occupying a central posi- 
tion in a horse-shoe crescent of moun- 
tains, still high above, which inclose a 
magnificent amphitheatre ten miles in 
diameter. This is clothed throughout 
with a splendidly varied and vigorous veg- 
etation, and choked by minor abutments, 
converging toward its gorge on the con- 
fines of the Adel plains. 

Here the journey was for the present to 
terminate, and, thanks to Abyssinian jeal- 
ousy and suspicion, many days were yet 
to elapse ere the remaining height should 
be climbed to the capital of Shoa, now 
distant two hours' walk. Three thousand 
feet above the level of the Farri stands 
the market town of Alio Amba, upon the 
crest of a scarped prong formed by the 
confluence of two mountain streams. A 
Mohamrnadan population, not exceeding 
one thousand souls, the inmates of two 
hundred and fifty straggling houses, is 
chiefly composed of Adaiel, Argobba, and 
merchants from Aussa and Hurrur ; and 
among this motley community it had been 
ordained that the embassy should halt 
that night. 

Ascending by a steep stony path to an 
open spot, on which the weekly market is 
held, the escort fired a desultory salute ; 
and while crowds of both sexes flocked to 
behold the white strangers, forming a 
double line, they indulged in the perform- 
ance of the war-dance. Relieved occa- 
sionally by some of the younger braves, 
who had earned distinctions during the 
last campaign, a veteran capered before 
the ranks with a drawn sword grasped be- 
tween his teeth; and for the edification 
of the bystanders, the notes of a martial 
song were powerfully poured forth in cho- 
rus from three hundred Christian throats. 

The cone occupied by Alio Amba, is 



only one of the thousand precipitous emi- 
nences into which the entire mountain- 
side is broken on its junction with the 
plain. Swollen and foaming, the inter- 
secting torrents appeared from the pinna- 
cle like small threads of silver, twining 
and gliding far below amid green bushes 
and verdant fields, to the great outlet, 
whence they escape to be soon lost on 
the desert sand. Together with a bound- 
less prospect over the inhospitable tract 
beneath, countless villages now met the 
eye upon the entire intervening mountain- 
side, and wherever the slope permitted of 
the plough being held, there cultivation 
flourished. Wheat, barley, Indian-corn, 
beans, peas, cotton, and oil-plant, throve 
luxuriantly around every hamlet — the 
regularly marked fields mounting in ter- 
races to the height of three or four thou- 
sand feet, and becoming in their bound- 
aries gradually more and more indistinct, 
until totally lost on the shadowy green 
side of Mamrat, " The Mother of Grace." 

This towering peak, still shrouded in 
clouds when all was sunshine below, is 
clothed with a dense forest of timber, and 
at an elevation of some thirteen thousand 
feet above the sea, affords secure shelter 
to the treasures of the monarch, which 
have been amassing since the reestablish- 
ment of the kingdom, one hundred and 
fifty years since. Loza forms the apex of 
the opposite side of the crescent, and 
perched on its wooded summit is a monas- 
tery forming the tempory abode of Hailoo 
Mulakoot, heir-apparent to the throne of 
Shoa. But by far the most interesting 
feature in the stern landscape is a conical 
hill, conspicuous from its isolated position, 
and rising amid dark groves of pine-like 
juniper, from a lofty serrated ridge. Here- 
on stands the stronghold of Goncho, the 
residence of Wulasma Mohammad, con- 
structed over the state dungeon keep, in 
which, loaded with galling fetters, the 
three younger brothers of a Christian king 
— victims to a barbarous statute — have 
found a living tomb since the present ac- 
cession, a period of thirty years ! 

After much needless detention in the 
market-place, exposed to the impertinent 
comments and rude gaze of the thronging 
populace, Ayto Kalama Work, a tall raw- 
boned man with a loose scambling gait and 
a dead yellow eye, introduced himself as 
governor of the town. He condescended 
in person to conduct the British guests of 
his royal master to a mansion, which had 
once boasted of himself as a tenant, bu f 
was now in the occupation of a fat old 
Moslem dame, and her three daughters 



CHEERLESS LODGINGS. 



113 



whose respective appellatives being duly 
translated, proved worthy the days of 
Prince Cherry and Fairstar. Eve, Sweet- 
limes, and Sunbeam, all clothed alike in 
scarlet habiliments, vacated the premises 
with the utmost alacrity, and many good- 
humored smiles ; but owing to the length 
and difficulty of the road, that portion of 
the baggage most in request did not ar- 
rive until midnight — when, through the 
officious interference of Ayto Woida Hana, 
whose garrulity had increased rather than 
abated, a new inventory of effects in charge 
of each principal of a village was to be 
penned by the royal scribe, and thus neither 
bedding nor food could be obtained. 

The edifice so ostentatiously allotted for 
the accommodation of the party by him of 
the unpromising exterior, was of an ellip- 
tical form, about thirty feet in length by 
eighteen in breadth, and surrounded on 
every side by those tall rank weeds that 
delight to luxuriate in filth. Two un- 
dressed stakes supported a tottering grass 
thatch. Windows there were none. A 
long narrow aperture did duty for a door, 
and the walls, which met the roof at a 
distance of ten feet from the ground, were 
of the very w T orst description of wattle and 
dab — the former an assemblage of rotten 
reeds, and the latter decayed by time in a 
sufficiency of places to admit the light in- 
dispensable to a full development of the 
dirt and misery within. 

In the principal of two apartments, a 
circular excavation in the floor surrounded 
by a parapet of clay, served as a stove. 
Heavy slabs of stone, embedded in high 
mud pedestals, used for grinding grain, 
engrossed one corner, and in another w r ere 
piled heaps of old bullock hides in various 
stages of decomposition. Very buggy- 
looking bedsteads, equipped with a web of 
narrow thongs in lieu of cotton tape, as- 
sumed that air of discomfort w T hich a bro- 
ken or ill-adapted leg is so prone to impart. 
The narrow necks of divers earthen urn- 
shaped vessels containing mead, beer, and 
water, were stuffed with bunches of green 
leaves. Larger mud receptacles were 
filled with wheat, barley, and beans ; and 
huge lumps of raw beef, with sundry bul- 
locks' heads, which were promiscuously 
strewed about, garnished the floor, the 
beds, and the walls, in every direction. 

The inner chamber boasted the presence 
of mules and female slaves, who, if judg- 
ment might be formed from the evil odors 
exhaled, were revelling in the garbage of 
the shambles. Constructed on the slope 
of a hill, the floor of the ediiice throughout 
was of the natural earth, and dipping at 



least one foot below the level of the thresh- 
old, had never known the presence of the 
housemaid's besom. Equalling the filth- 
iest Irish hovel in dirt and discomfort, the 
cheerless abode could boast of no sleek 
little pig, and of no pond covered with fat 
ducks, both being alike held in abhorrence 

by the Jew-Christians of Shoo- , and evon 

the old hat was wanting, wherewith to 
cram the gaps through which whistled the 
keen cutting blast of Alpine climes. 

Fatigue soon closed the weary eyes ; 
but the change in the atmosphere, conse- 
quent upon the great elevation attained, 
presently interfered with repose upon the 
damp bare floor. Rain then set in with 
extreme violence. The water came tum- 
bling through the manifold apertures in 
the crazy walls and shattered roof, and 
having speedily flooded the sloping court, 
poured over the threshold to deluge the 
floor with standing pools. Although the 
smoke of sodden wood, unable to escape, 
proved an inconvenience scarcely to be 
borne, there was no dispensing with a 
fire ; and troops of fleas and sanguinary 
bugs, coursing over the body, by their 
painful and poisonous attacks, might al- 
most have caused a sigh for the execrated 
plains of the Ada'i'el, which, with all their 
discomforts of watch and ward, were at 
least free from the curse of vermin. 

But the lingering day dawned at last, 
and with the tedious hours of a cold and 
sleepless night the rain had also disap- 
peared. As the rising sun shone against 
the lofty and now cloudless peaks, prepara- 
tions were made for continuing the journey 
to Ankober, in accordance with the royal 
invitation ; but Ayto Wolda Hana, whose 
presence ever betokened evil, after wading 
through the compliments of the morning, 
proceeded w T ith unbending gravity to un- 
fold the dismal tidings that the monarch 
had altered his resolves. His majesty 
would tarry yet some days longer at Debra 
Berhan, and, in consequence, graciously 
extended the option of visiting the court 
there or resting at Alio Amba, pending his 
indefinite arrival at the capital. 

The difficulty, not to say the impossibility, 
of transporting the mass of baggage to so 
great a distance, in such weather, and with 
very inadequate means at command, ren- 
dered imperative the adoption of the latter 
alternative. Ayto Wolda Hana and Ka- 
tama, with the whole of the escort, mean- 
while took their departure, to report orally 
the important discoveries they had been 
able to make relative to the nature of the 
presents designed for the throne, together 
with the particulars of the quarrel betwix* 



114 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Izhak and Mohammad Ali, and the respec- 
tive pretensions of the rivals to the honor 
of having conducted the British visitors 
into Abyssinia. 

One of those mysterious boxes, the lad- 
ing of which, unviolated by the scrutinizing 
scribes, remained hermetically sealed to the 

Uxqutaitivc g-oao of officious spies, had, be- 
fore leaving Farri, been broken open with 
the design of obtaining access to an indis- 
pensable portion of the contents. To this 
unfortunate necessity may possibly be as- 
cribed the sudden and unlooked-for altera- 
tion in the royal intentions. In lieu of 
ingots of gold were revealed to the astound- 
ed sight the leathern buckets, linch-stocks, 
and tough ash staves pertaining- to the 
galloper guns. Words of derision burst 
from the mouth of every disappointed spec- 
tator. ;t These," exclaimed fifty vain-glG- 
rious lips at once, " be but a poor people. 
What is their nation when compared with- 
the Amhara ? for behold in this trash, spe- 
cimens of the offerings brought from their 
boasted land to the footstool of the might- 
iest of monarchs !" 



CHAPTER XLI 

PROBATION AT ALIO AMEA. 

Slowly passed the days of fog, and the 
nights of dire discomfort, during the tedious 
detention which followed this unfortunate 
discovery. From the terrace commanding 
a boundless view over the desolate regions 
traversed, the overflowing channel of the 
Hawash, and the lakes Le Ado and Ailabel- 
lo could each morning be perceived spark- 
ling with increased lustre, as their fast- 
filling basins glittered like sheets of bur- 
nished silver under the rays of the rising 
sun. The industrious fleas continued their 
nocturnal persecutions, as if never to be 
sated with European blood ; and a constant 
succession of clouds, which ascended the 
valley, drawing a gray cold curtain before 
the hoary head of Mamrat, proclaimed, 
amid prolonged peals of thunder, the com- 
mencement of the rainy season. 

But each succeeding night and day 
brought no nearer prospect of release, and 
the change in the imperial resolves were 
scarcely less frequent than those which 
came over the towering face of the strong- 
hold of his subterranean treasure. Re- 
monstrances, penned with infinite labor and 
difficulty, were responded by endearing 
messages, garbled at the pleasure of those 
to whom they were confided ; but the subtle 



excuse for the further delay of the desired 
audience was never wanting, and conjec- 
ture became exhausted in devising the true 
cause of the mortifying indifference dis- 
played to the rich presents from " beyond 
the great sea." 

A desire on the part of the deepot to pre- 
serve due respect in the eyes of his lieges, 
and perhaps also to imbue the minds of his 
foreign visitors with a befitting sense of 
his importance, were the most probable 
motives. Under the existing disappoint- 
ment, it afforded some consolation to re- 
member that embassies of old to Northern 
Abyssinia had experienced similar treat- 
ment, and to know that delegates to Shoa 
from the courts of Gondar and Tigre are 
never presented to the king until weeks 
after their arrival — a custom originating 
probably in the more kindly feeling of al- 
lowing rest to the way-worn traveller, at 
the close of a long and perilous journey, 
but perpetuated for less worthy considera- 
tions. • 

At length there came a pressing invita- 
tion to visit the monarch at Debra Berhan, 
coupled with an assurance that the master 
of the horse should be in attendance to 
escort the party. But no master of the 
horse was forthcoming at the time appoint- 
ed, and the following day brought a pathetic 
billet from the palace— a tiny parchment 
scroll, enveloped in a sheet of wax, breath- 
ing in its contents regret and disappoint- 
ment. " Son of my house, my heart longed 
to behold you, and I believed that you would 
come. As you appeared not, I passed the 
day in distress, fearing lest the waters 
should have carried you away, or that the 
mule had fallen on the road. I command- 
ed Melkoo to w T ait and receive you, and to 
conduct you to me ; but when I hoped to 
see you arrive, you stayed out. The mule 
returned ; and when I inquired whither you 
were gone, they told me that you were left. 
I have committed the fault, in that I gave 
not orders that they should go down, and 
bring you." 

Meanwhile, the most vigorous attempts 
were made, on the part both of the wul- 
asma and of Ayto Wolda Hana, to exer- 
cise exclusive control over the baggage 
lodged at Alio Amba. Locks were placed 
upon the latches, and guards appointed 
over the doors of the houses wherein it 
was deposited — fully as much care being 
taken to preclude access on the part of 
those by whom it had been brought, as if 
his Christian majesty had already become 
the bond- fide proprietor. Repeated orders 
on the subject, obtained from the palace, 
were uniformly disregarded by the over- 



HEREDITARY THIEF-CATCHER. 



115 



zealous functionaries, and it was only by 
force of arms that the repositaries were 
finally burst open, and that charge of the 
contents could be resumed. 

Neither were the persecutions of the 
gaunt governor of the town among the 
least of the evils to be endured, resulting 
as they did in consequences the most in- 
convenient. Specially appointed to enter- 
tain and provide for the wants of the 
guests, he supplied at the royal expense 
provisions alike inferior in quality and de- 
ficient in quantity, taking care at the same 
time that the king's munificence should 
be in no wise compromised by purchases, 
for these he clandestinely dbmp-iH LIis 
cv^juvi, uugm be traced to the same jeal- 
ous feelings that pervaded the breast of his 
colleagues in office. In the despotic king- 
dom of Shoa, the sovereign can alone pur- 
chase colored cloth or choice goods ; and 
Ayto Kalama Work, who is entitled to a 
certain percentage upon all imports, hav- 
ing formed a tolerably shrewd estimate of 
the contents of the bales and boxes, be- 
lieved that these would effectually clog the 
market, and that his dues would be no 
longer forthcoming. Resolved to extend 
the most unequivocal proofs of his discon- 
tent, he was pleased to assign to the sur- 
viving horses and mules of the foreigners 
a tract destitute of pasturage — one mul- 
berry-colored steed only being pampered, 
because from size, color, and appearance, 
it was assumed that he must be intended 
for the king. The continued drenching 
rain at night during the later marches, 
with the intense heat and general absence 
of water and forage throughout the whole 
pilgrimage, had sadly reduced the original 
number. Many more had dropped on the 
ascent from Farri, and of those whose 
strength had enabled them to climb the 
more favored mountains of Abyssinia, the 
tails of one half were now presented as 
evidences of their fate. 

Among the very few incidents that oc- 
curred to break the monotony of the pro- 
bationary sojourn, was the arrival of the 
" lebashi," the hereditary thief-catcher of 
the kingdom. For several hours the little 
town was in a state of confusion and dis- 
may. Burglary had been committed — di- 
vers pieces of salt had been abstracted, and 
the appearance of the police-officer was 
not one whit more agreeable to the inno- 
cent than to the guilty. 

A ring having been formed in the mar- 
ket-place by the crowded spectators, the 
diviner introduced his accomplice, a stolid- 
looking lad, who seated himself upon a 
bullock's hide with an air of deep resigna- 



tion. An intoxicating drug was, under 
many incantations, extracted from a mys- 
terious leathern scrip, and thrown into a 
horn filled with new milk ; and this pota- 
tion, aided by several hurried inhalations 
of a certain narcotic, had the instantaneous 
effect of rendering the recipient stupidly 
frantic. Springing upon his feet, he dash- 
ed, foaming at the mouth, among the rab- 
ble, and without any respect to age or sex, 
dealt vigorously about him, until at length 
secured by a cord about the loins, when he 
dragged his master round and round from 
street to street, snuffling through the nose 
like a bear in the dark recesses of every 

lirmsp. anrl Ipaving- nnccrntuiizpd X\0 hole 

or corner. 

After scraping for a considerable time 
with his nails under the foundation of a 
hut, wherein he suspected the delinquent 
to lurk, the imp entered, sprang upon the 
back of the proprietor, and became totally 
insensible. The man was forthwith ar- 
raigned before a tribunal of justice, at 
which Ayto Kalama Work presided ; and 
although no evidence could be adduced, 
and he swore repeatedly to his innocence 
by the life of the king, he was sentenced 
by the just judges to pay forty pieces of 
salt. This fine was exactly double the 
amount alleged to have been stolen, and 
one fourth became the perquisite of the 
lebashi. 

The services of the hereditary thief- 
catcher are in universal requisition. Should 
the property lost consist of live instead of 
dead stock, it not unfrequently happens 
that the disciple remains torpid upon the 
ground ; when all parties concerned feel 
perfectly satisfied that the animal has either 
strayed or been destroyed by wild beasts, 
and the expenses attending the divination 
must be paid by the owner. With the de- 
sign of testing the skill of the magician, 
the negoos once upon a time commanded 
his confidential page to secrete certain ar- 
ticles of wearing apparel pertaining to the 
royal wardrobe, and after an investigation 
of four days, the proper individual being 
selected with becoming formality, the pro- 
fessional reputation of "him who catches" 
acquired a lustre which has since remained 
untarnished. 

Many a weary hour was passed in list- 
ening to tales of real or counterfeit mala- 
dies, which were daily recounted in the 
hovel at Alio Amba. Witchcraft and the 
influence of the evil eye have firm posses- 
sion of the mind of every inhabitant, and 
sufficiently diverting were the complaints 
laid to their door by those who sought 
amulets and talismans at the hand of the 



116 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



foreigners. A young Moslem damsel, 
whose fickle swam had deserted her, could 
never gaze on the moon that her heart 
went not pit-a-pat, while the tears stream- 
ed from her dark eyes ; and a hoary veteran 
with one foot in the grave sought the res- 
toration of rhetorical powers, which had 
formed the boast of his youth, but which 
had been destroyed by the pernicious gaze 
of a rival. " Of yore," quoth he who in- 
troduced the patient, " this was a powerful 
orator ; and when he lifted up his voice in 
the assembly, men marvelled as he spoke ; 
hn± now. although his heart is still elo- 
quent, his tongue is niggard of words." 

Equally llU|Jt;le».3 \V <Xo tho oaoo of a,n \ii.l- 

fortunate slave-dealer, who crawled in 
search of relief to the abode of the king's 
guests. A Galla of the Ittoo tribe had un- 
dertaken the removal of severe rheuma- 
tism, contracted on the road from Hurrur ; 
to which end he administered a powerful 
narcotic, which rendered the patient in- 
sensible. Armed with a sharp creese, he 
then proceeded to cut and slash in every 
direction, from the crown of the head to 
the sole of the foot ; and when the muti- 
lated victim awoke to a sense of his mel- 
ancholy condition, the ruthless operator 
had disappeared. Scarred and seamed in 
every part of his body, he now presented 
the appearance of one who had been flayed 
alive,- and the skin had so contracted over 
the gaps whence the flesh had been scoop- 
ed, that, unless with extreme difficulty, he 
could neither eat, drink, nor speak. " My 
life is burdensome," groaned the miserable 
picture of human calamity ; " and it were 
better that I should die. I have bathed in 
the hot springs at Korari without deriving 
the slightest relief. You white men know 
everything : give me something to heal 
me, for the love of Allah !" 



CHAPTER XLII. 

THE WEEKLY MARKET. 

Surrounded by the myrmidons who 
collect the royal dues, Ayto Kalama Work 
was every Friday morning to be seen seat- 
ed beneath the scanty shelter of ancient 
acacia, which throws its withered arms 
over the centre of the market-place. On 
this day alone are purchases to be made ; 
and the inhabitants of the adjacent villages 
pouring from all quarters to lay in their 
weekly supplies, a scene of unusual bus- 
tle and confusion animates this otherwise 
most quiet and uninteresting location. 



Shortly after daybreak, wares of every 
description are displayed under the canopy 
of heaven, and crowds of both sexes flock- 
ing to the stall of the vender, the din of 
human voices is presently at its height. 
Honey, cotton, grain, and other articles of 
consumption, the produce of the estate of 
the Amhara farmer, are exposed for sale or 
barter. The Dankali merchant exhibits 
his gay assortment of metals, colored 
thread, and glass-ware. The wild Galla 
squats beside the produce of his flocks, and 
the Moslem trader from the interior dis- 
plays ostrich feathers, or some other article 
of curiosity from the distant tribe. Bales 
of ootw oWh. and bags of coffee from 
Cafra and Enarea, are strewea is ^.^^ 
direction. Horses and mules in numbers 
are shown off among the crowd to in- 
crease the turmoil ; nor is even the wan- 
dering Hebrew wanting to complete the 
scene of traffic, haggling, and barter, which 
continues, without intermission, until a 
late hour in the afternoon, when the vil- 
lage relapses again into its wonted six days 
of quiet and repose. 

Swathed and folded in dirty cotton cloth, 
behold, in the cultivator of the soil, the 
original of the Egyptian mummy. Greasy 
and offensive in person and in habits, he 
moves cringingly to pay his tax to the 
governor of the fair, w T ho sits in conscious 
dignity upon a stone ; and prostrating him- 
self with shoulders bared among the mud, 
the serf hands forth the measure of grain 
from the leathern scrip, or scoops out the 
prescribed meed of butter from the jar — 
the vassal token of permission enjoyed to 
earn his bread by the unceasing hand of 
labor. No spark of intelligence illumines 
his dull features ; not a trace of indepen- 
dence can be discovered in his slouching 
gait ; and the cumbrous robe with which 
he is invested would indeed seem far bet- 
ter adapted for a quiet resting-place in the 
tomb, than for the bustling avocations of 
stirring life. 

Here swaggers a valiant gun-man of the 
king's matchlock guard. The jealousy of 
the monarch forbids the removal of the 
primitive weapon from the royal presence, 
but the white herkoom feather floats in all 
the pride of blood over clotted tufts moist 
with the beloved grease ; and the dark 
scowl and the lowering brow betoken the 
reckless cruelty which stains the charac- 
ter of the band. But the man is a poor 
slave, and his degraded state has entirely 
destroyed the few traits of humanity which 
might have smiled upon his nativity. 

The surly Ada'iel brushes past in inso- 
lent indifference, to examine the female 



THE WOMEN— A MAN IN AUTHORITY. 



117 



slaves in the wicker hut of the rover from 
the south. His murderous creese insures 
from the bystanders a high respect, which 
frequent disasters in the low country has 
riveted on the heart of the Amhara ; and 
men turn in wonder to gaze upon the mor- 
tal who entertaineth not a slavish adoration 
for the great monarch of Shoa. 

Squatted beside his foreign wares and 
glittering beads, see the wily huckster of 
Hurrur, with his turban and blue-checked 
kilt. His dealings, it is true, are of no 
very extensive amount ; and salt, not sil- 
ver, is the medium of exchange ; but there 
is still room for the exercise of his knav- 
ery. The countenance both of buyer and 
seller exhibits an anxious and business- 
like expression ; and the same noise and 
confusion prevails regarding an extra two- 
pence-halfpenny, as if the transaction in- 
volved a shower of golden guineas. 

The Christian women flit through the 
busy fair with eggs and poultry, and other 
produce of the farm. Their ill-favored 
features are not improved, either by the 
eradication of the eyebrow, or by the bare 
shaven crown dripping with rancid butter ; 
and the dirty persons of all are invariably 
shrouded in yet dirtier habiliments, from 
the tall masculine damsel of sixteen sum- 
mers, to the decrepit wrinkled hag, who in 
cracked notes proclaims ever and anon, 
" amole alliche Ur" " salt to sell for sil- 
ver." 

The free and stately mien of the oriental 
female, and the light and graceful garment 
of the east, are alike wanting. The heavy 
load is tied upon the back of the pack- 
horse, and the bent and broken figure of 
the Amhara dame is debarred by the severe 
law of the despot from the decoration of 
finery or costly ornament. A huge bee- 
hive-shaped wig, elaborately curled and 
frosted, and massive pewter buttons thrust 
through the lobe of the ear, constitute her 
only pride ; and nature, alas ! has too often 
withheld' even the smallest portion of those 
feminine attractions, which in other climes 
form the charm of her sex. 

The inhabitants of Argobba or Efat, un- 
der the control of the sinister eye of the 
wulasma, are followers of the false proph- 
et, and speak a distinct language. Little 
difference, however, is observable in the 
external appearance of the males from that 
of the Amhara subject of the empire ; and 
it is not until the removal of the muffling 
cloth that the rosary of bright-spotted beads 
is displayed in lieu of the dark-blue em- 
blem of Christianity worn throughout 
Ethiopi. vomeii. on the other hand, 

are at once recognizable, no less by their 



Arab gipsy features, than by their long 
braided tresses streaming over the shoul- 
der, the ample smock of red cloth, dyed 
purple with accumulated lard, and the 
nun-like hood of the same material, but- 
toned close under the chin. 

Fairer, more slender, and better favored 
than their coarse Christian sisters of the 
more Alpine regions, they are still scarcely 
less greasy and unattractive. Loaded with 
amulets and beads, their belief is proclaim- 
ed by the oft-repeated exclamation, " Ham- 
du-lillah /" " Praise be unto Allah !" — the 
courteous interrogatories of every passer- 
by, anent health, rest, and welfare, being 
by the burly and masculine ladies of Shoa, 
responded by the words " Egzia behere 
maskin!''' " Thanks be unto God !" Un- 
restricted by harem law, they fidget about 
in every direction, their great sparkling 
eyes peering through a mass of coal-black 
hair, half concealed by the crimson cowl, 
and the large shining necklace of amber 
reaching nearly to the waist. But the 
hideous sack chemise veils every feature 
of figure and personal beauty, and the na- 
ked hands and feet are alone exhibited, 
boti rather misshapen from hard work and 
undue exposure to the climate. 

The crowd makes way for a great Chris- 
tian governor, probably from some distant 
province near the Nile. He is surrounded 
by a boisterous host of armed attendants, 
and, like them, paddles with unshod feet 
through the stiff black mire. Tiae capa- 
cious stomach, and the bright silver sword 
with tulip scabbard, betoken high honor 
and command. An ambling mule tricked 
out in brass jingles and chains follows in 
his path ; a long taper wand towers above 
his shoulder; and his portly figure is com- 
pletely shrouded in the folds of a cotton 
robe, bedecked from end to end with broad 
crimson stripes. The garment might be 
improved by ablution ; but repose upon the 
hide of a bullock is no aid to purity of ap- 
parel, and it is white in comparison with 
those of his unwashed retinue. 

The arrangement of his hair has occu- 
pied the entire morning, and the steam of 
the fetid butter, which glistens among the 
minute curls, pervades the entire atmo- 
sphere. Muffled high above the chin, the 
eyes and nose of the functionary are alone 
submitted to the vulgar gaze, and as he 
halts for a moment to wonder at the un- 
wonted sight of the Gyptzi strangers, the 
bloodshot eye betrays the midnight de- 
bauch, and the wrinkles of his turned-up 
nose, the scorn of the savage at the differ- 
ence of costume and complexion. Ap- 
proaching - the acacia his shoulders are tern- 



118 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



porarily bared to the pompous dignitary 
presiding over the fair, who rising to re- 
ceive him, returns the compliment, and 
there ensues a tissue of inquiries unknown 
even to the code of Chesterfield. 

Cantering over the tiny plain — a scanty 
level of an hundred yards—the wild Galla 
enters the scene of confusion, his long 
tresses streaming in the wind, and his gar- 
ment blue with the grease of ages. A jar 
of honey or a basket of butter, is lashed to 
the crupper of his high-peaked saddle ; the 
steed is lean and shaggy as the rider, and 
the snort and the start from either proclaim 
undefined terror and amazement at the 
strange sights, and the rugged rocks and 
precipices, unknown to the boundless mea- 
dows of their own green land. 

Dandies there are none, in aaght of out- 
ward appearance, for the arrangement of 
the hair is the only latitude allowed to the 
invention of the would-be fop. The cotton 
cloth in every degree of impurity, floats 
over the swart shoulder both of noble and 
of serf. Bare heads and naked feet are 
the property of all. and the possession of 
the spear and shield alone marks the cif- 
ference of rank. The chief scorns to carry 
a weapon except during the foray or the 
fight, whereas his followers never leave 
the threshold of their rude dwellings, with- 
out the lance in their hand, and buckler on 
their arm. 

The terror and abhorrence in which the 
low country and its attendant dangers are 
held by the Abyssinian population, have 
placed nearly the entire trade of Alio Araba 
in the hands of the Danakil, who are treat- 
ed by the monarch of Shoa with all defer- 
ence and respect. Caravans arrive every 
month during the fair season from Aussa 
and Taj lira, and the traffic, considering the 
manifold drawbacks, may be said to be 
brisk and profitable. Numbers of foreign 
merchants, those of Hurrur especially, 
while disposing of their goods, hold their 
temporary residence at the market town, 
the climate of which, many degrees warmer 
than the cold summit of the range which 
towers two thousand feet above, proves far 
more congenial to their taste and habits. 

With the proceeds of foreign imported 
merchandise, human beings kidnapped in 
the interior countries of Africa are pur- 
chased in the adjacent slave mart of Abd el 
Russool. These wretched victims are then 
taken through the Amhara province of Gid- 
dem to the Wollo and Argobba frontiers, 
some five days' journey to the north, and 
resold at a profit of fifty per cent.,— the 
sums realized being there invested in am- 
oles, or blocks of black salt, the size of a 



mower's w T hetstone. Obtained between 
Agame and the country of the Dankali, 
from a salt plain which not only supplies 
all the Abyssinian markets, but many also 
far in the interior of Africa, they pass as a 
currency, and, being bought on the frontier 
at the rate of twenty-five for a German 
crown, are retailed in Alio Amba at a pro- 
fitable exchange. A large investment of 
slaves is finally purchased with the wealth 
thus laboriously amassed, and the merchant 
returns to his native country to traffic in 
human flesh at the sea-ports of Zeyla and 
Berbera, or on the opposite coast of Ara- 
bia — anon to revisit Shoa with a fresh in- 
voice of marketable wares. 

Ever ravaged by war and violence, the 
unexplored regions of the interior pour 
forth a continual supply of ill-starred vic- 
tims of all ages to feed the demand ; and 
the hebdomadal parade in the market-place 
under the ruthless Moslem monsters by 
whom they are imported, is sufficiently 
harrowing to those who are unaccustomed 
to such revolting spectacles. Examined 
like cattle by the purchaser, the sullen 
Shankala fetches a price proportioned to 
the muscular appearance of his giant 
frame; and the child of tender years is 
valued according to the promise of future 
development. Even the shame-faced and 
slenderly-clad maiden is subjected to every 
indignity, while the price of her charms is 
estimated according to the regularity of 
her features, the symmetry of her budding 
form, and the luxuriance of her braided 
locks; and when the silver has rung in 
confirmation of the bargain, the last tie is 
dissolved which could hold in any restraint 
the appetite of her savage possessor. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE PRINCIPALITY OF HURRUR. 

Not many weeks had elapsed since cer- 
tain substantial merchants of Hurrur, after 
visiting the shrine at Medina, and making 
a long and profitable sojourn in Alio Amba, 
had returned to their native land to enjoy 
the honors of their religious pilgrimage. 
Slaves, ivory, and precious gums had been 
disposed of to great advantage in Arabia, 
and the proceeds invested in beads, berilles, 
and broadcloth, with which the enterpri- 
sing traders landed at the maritime town 
j of Taj lira. Proceeding thence to Efat, 
they embarked their gains in slaves, mules, 
I and cotton cloths ; and designing to pass 



PRINCIPALITY OF HURRUR. 



119 



the residue of their days in ease and afflu- 
ence, set out byway of Hurrur for the 
great annual fair at Berbera. 
3 In advance of the time, however, these 
luckless individuals had ventured to specu- 
late to their envious countrymen upon the 
advantage to be derived from foreign traffic 
and the presence of the white man. The 
incautious word had caught the ear of 
Abdel Yonag, the wily chief of the Hur- 
rurhi ; and letters were secretly dispatched 
to his master the ameer, representing the 
wealthy hajjis to be men of turbulent and 
ambitious views, who had devised danger- 
ous innovations, and were plotting, with 
the Ada'iel, the monopoly of the commerce 
in slaves. With hearts bounding at the 
sight of their native minarets, and utterly 
unconscious of the slander that had pre- 
ceded them, the pilgrims entered the Isma- 
deen gate of the city ; but ere return had 
been welcomed by wife or child, they were 
hurried by the soldiery to the presence of 
the despot, and, without even the mockery 
of a trial, were beaten to death with huge 
maces of iron. 

The independent principality of Hurrur 
is a spot yet unvisited by any European, 
and is remarkable for its isolated position 
among the Pagan and Mohammadan Galla. 
against whose continual inroads it has 
hitherto contrived, with the aid of two 
hundred matchlockmen and a few archers, 
to maintain its integrity. The Alia, the 
Nooli, the Geeri, the Tarsoo, the Babili, 
the Bursoo, the Burteera, and the Gooti, 
compass it on every side, and making sud- 
den descents, sweep the ripe crops from 
off the face of the smiling land ; but their 
efforts against the town have uniformly 
proved unsuccessful, and caravans con- 
tinue, in spite of. hostilities, to carry on a 
very considerable traffic through the Ittoo 
and Aroosi tribes, with Shoa and the So- 
mauli coast. 

Originally founded and peopled by a 
colony of the sons of Yemen, the town is 
described to be situated in a pleasant and 
well- watered valley, surrounded by hills, 
and enjoying a cool and salubrious climate. 
A wall of mud and stone, six miles in cir- 
cumference, with five fortified gates, affords 
security to the entire population, whose 
houses, many of them two-storied, are j 
constructed of stone, white- washed, and j 
terraced. Mosques and minarets are con- 
spicuous in every street. The matin voice 
of the muezzin is regularly heard, and the | 
Jama el Musjid is believed to be the abode 
of guardian angels, who stretch the strong ] 
pinion of protection over the heads of the 
Faithful. "How could Hurrur have tri- 



umphed thus long over the unbelievers," 
inquire the devout citizens, " had Allah not 
extended his right arm to succor the fol- 
lowers of his Prophet?" 

Aboo Bekr, the reigning ameer, has 
wielded the sceptre during the last seven 
years ; and, pursuing the barbarous custom 
of Shoa, his brothers and family are per- 
manent inmates of subterranean dungeons, 
which, for better security, are constructed 
immediately below the foundations of his 
own palace. Although cruel and vindic- 
tive, he is reputed a brave prince, leading 
the foray in person, and taking the front 
in the battle field ; but suspicion of the 
stranger would seem to form the ruling 
feature of his character, nor is this to be 
wondered at, since bloodshed and aggres- 
sion are known to have once marked the 
'footstep of the intruder. 

During the reign of Abd el Kurreem, 
uncle to the present ameer, a large body 
of Arabs from Mocha, instigated by a dis- 
graced member of the blood-royal, who had 
tied thither for safety, laid siege to the 
town, and, assisted by guns of small cali- 
bre, which are now mounted on the walls, 
had nearly prevailed. Again the guardian 
angels stretched their white wings over 
the beleaguered city. The magazine blew 
up and destroyed numbers of the enemy; 
and their traitorous leader, who had in- 
duced the attack by representing his- coun- 
trymen to be infidels and apostates from 
the true religion, falling into the hands of 
the garrison, had his head exalted on a pole 
in the market-place, after the brains had 
been dashed out with an iron club. Death 
is now the portion of every fool -hardy 
wanderer from the shores of Araby, and 
while the Galla is compelled to relinquish 
his arms at the gate, every precaution is 
taken to exclude from the land the for- 
eigner, of whatever nation. 

In the features of the Hurrurhi is to be 
traced a strong resemblance to those of the 
parent stock. The costume consists of a 
checked kilt, a creese, and a cotton toga ; 
the display of a turban being restricted to 
the ameer, to the moolahs, and to those 
who have performed the pilgrimage to the 
shrine of the Prophet. Although distinct 
in itself, the language bears a singular af- 
finity to that of the Amhara, but Arabic 
forms the written character. Barter is the 
most usual system of commerce, but the 
mahaluk, a small copper coin resembling 
the dewdni of Jiddah, is current in the 
realm. Twenty-two of these go to a nom- 
inal coin styled ashraji % whereof forty are 
equivalent to the German crown. It bears 
on the reverse the name of the reigning 



120 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Erince, and on the obverse the quotation 
rom the Koran, "La illah, illilah" " there 
is none other God but Allah." 

Around Hurrur the soil is rich, and ex- 
tensively cultivated, especially in coffee. 
Two thousand bales of the finest quality 
are annually exported into India and Arabia 
by the ports of Zeyla and Berbera, which 
are visited thrice during the year by large 
caravans laden with ivory, ostrich feathers, 
ghee, saffron, gums, and myrrh, which 
latter is produced in great abundance. 
Blue and white calico, Indian piece goods, 
English prints, silks, and shawls, red cot- 
ton yarn, silk thread, beads, frankincense, 
copper wire, and zinc, are received in ex- 
change, and a transit duty of one frazil of 
the latter metal is levied by the ameer on 
every slave passing through his dominions 
from* the cold hills of his brother of Shoa, 
where these commodities are bartered.* 

Between Aboo Bekr and the Christian 
monarch the most friendly intercourse sub- 
sists. Letters continually pass and repass, 
and scarcely a month elapses without the 
arrival, of a caravan. The chief of the 
Wurj, or merchants of Hurrur, standing 
specially appointed by the ameer, possess- 
es absolute power to punish all offences, 
and adjust disputes amonghis own country- 
men, who are not less fond of drawing the 
creese than their Ada'iel brethren. Tullah, 
an inferior description of beer, being brew- 
ed and swallowed in alarming quantities, 
brawls, and scuffles too frequently termi- 
nate the debauch in blood. Should a Chris- 
tian subject of Shoa be slain, the offence 
is passed over in politic silence, but when 
the reverse is the case, the worldly wealth 
of the sinning Abyssinian is confiscated 
by the crown, and i'lis person handed over 
to the tender mercies of the Moslem sav- 
ages. 

The continual change of inhabitants, 
the excessive cheapness of provisions, and 
the prevalent custom of handfasting for 
the visit, tend little to improve the moral- 
itv of the market town. The chains of the 
convenient alliances formed, are by no 
means binding on either party, and the sum 
of twopence-halfpenny is perfectly suffi- 
cient to support during the week the trader 
and his temporary mate. One hundred 
pieces of salt are considered a large dow- 
ry ; the nuptials are celebrated by feasting 
and routing alone, and while the utmost 
indifference prevails on the part of the 
husband, he loosens the matrimonial knot 
at pleasure, by carrying his partner before 



* The 

ed at 150 miles S.S.W.. a ;: ■:'. from . . 



the kazi, and thrice repeating the words, 
" Woman, I thee divorce." 

One fourth of the entire population of 
Alio Amba are Hurrurhi and Danakil. 
Of the worthies who accompanied the em- 
bassy from Tajura, the majority continued 
to reside at Farri and Channoo for the con- 
venience of foraging their camels ; but 
flocking every Friday to the market, they 
never failed to confer the pleasure of their 
society for a few hours. Guba'iyo, the 
deputy- governor of the town, had been 
specially appointed to the service of the 
foreigners, and while discharging his office 
of spy with the most creditable diligence, 
he exercised with strict impartiality his 
functions as door-keeper, enforcing, great- 
ly to the amazement of the independent 
Adaiel, the Abyssinian usage, which pre- 
cludes the invasion of visitors unless duly 
introduced. The obnoxious red-man, whose 
iniquities had well nigh cost the lives of 
the whole party at the Great Salt Lake, 
and who had now the impudence to seek 
a reward for his services on the road, was 
the first who came under the remorseless 
lash of the despotic bully ; and it was a 
not less cheering and delightful sight to 
behold the warm-blooded little warrior, 
Ibrahim Shehem Abli, flying like a foot- 
ball down the steps leading from the court- 
yard into the muddy-lane, before the pro- 
pulsive impetus of a Christian toe, which 
presently sent the tyrannical Izhak bound- 
ing after his colleague, with many a se- 
vere thwack from the wand of office, ring- 
ing across his Moslem shoulders, as he 
vainly proclaimed himself own brother to 
the reigning Sultan of Tajura. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

ESCAPE FROM THE MARKET-TOWN. 

Abyssinian despots sully not their dig- 
nity by condescending to divulge even the 
smallest design to the most confidential of 
their courtiers. In elegant Amharic phra- 
seology, " the belly of the master is never 
known;" and thus it occurred, that had 
any possessed the inclination to predict the 
probable period of detention, none could 
boast the ability. A fortnight rolled tar- 
dily away, and the burring curiosity of 
the savage having meanwhile overcome the- 
scruples dictated by state policy, it became 
matter of public notoriety that the king had 
taken up his residence at the adjacent 
palace of Machai-wans, where preparations 
wer Tess toward the long< 

desireu audience. 



ROYAL MESSAGE— ADIEU TO ALIO AMBA. 



121 



The reappearance of the commander-in- 
chief of the body-guard, with the escort of 
honor, was the first welcome sign of ap- 
proaching release from the vile market- 
town of Alio Amba ; and the most illustri- 
ous peer of the realm, attended by a junto 
of scribes, and a host of reluctant porters, 
was not far behind him. Penmanship being 
so extremely tedious a process, it is not the 
court etiquette to indite letters when a ver- 
bal communication will answer the pur- 
pose : and the visitors were accordingly 
charged with abundant compliments, and 
with an invitation to behold the royal per- 
son on the ensuing Sabbath, which had 
been pronounced by the astrologers, "a 
day of good omens." " Tarry not by day, 
neither stay ye by night, for the heart of 
the father longeth to see his children. 
Hasten, that he be not again disappoint- 
ed." 

But, unfortunately, the hour selected by 
the skill of " those who read the stars," did 
not find approval in the sight of the guests ; 
and in order to gratify the royal impatience, 
it was therefore proposed, that the inter- 
view should take place one day earlier. 
His majesty, however, labored under the 
effects of cosso, a drug resorted to by all 
who revel in raw diet ; and feeling yet un- 
equal to appear in public, it was finally ar- 
ranged that audience should be deferred 
until the Monday following. A fresh in- 
ventory of boxes was immediately com- 
menced ; and. after much opposition, those 
intended for presentation to the throne 
were separated, and sent off to await ar- 
rival at a hamlet distant two miles from 
Machal-wans. 

The next labor was to dismantle the 
structure of bales and packages, which, du- 
ring the detention at Alio Amba had been 
piled, in view to .the economy of space, so 
as to admit of some of the party occupying 
the tier next the roof, while others had 
slept in cabins formed below, or upon, or 
underneath, the table. But no sooner had 
the king's baggage departed, than the wu- 
lasma came to announce that there we"-' 
flo more porters, and that if anything jC "J 
remained it must be left behind. A 10t her 
battle followed, and a war of wor^ which 
lasted a full hour and a half w *s a gain 
crowned with victory. 

Ayto Kalama Work, ^ho had been the 
chief instigator of this opposition, is 
charged wirfi manifold affairs. Independent 
of his important duties at the seat of his 
authority, where he is responsible for all 
tribute in salt, in honey, and in specie, he 
is intrusted with the treasures lodged in 
Ankober, Aramba, Debra Berhan, and 
9 



Kondie, and is expected to be present on 
all state occasions at the palace. To assist 
in the discharge of these onerous and mul- 
tifarious duties, he has many stewards and 
subordinates, of whom the chief, who super- 
intends the ghemdjia house, or royal ward- 
robe, wherein the most costly manufactures 
are deposited, had already proceeded in ad- 
vance to spread the carpets in the great 
reception-hall. He was accompanied by 
Deftera Sena, the secretary, whose busi- 
ness it is to receive and register all trans- 
fers to the state revenues, and who had 
been for the last fortnight almost incessant- 
ly busied with his pen. 

Liberated from irksome captivity, the 
utmost difficulty was next experienced in 
procuring mules — no steps to supply the 
place of those destroyed having been taken 
by the inimical functionaries, whose ex- 
press duty it was. The few survivors of 
the late numerous drove were mustered, 
but only one proved in a condition to pro- 
ceed, and it was not until a messenger had 
actually set out with a complaint to the 
king, that measures were taken to supply 
the number required. A clamorous mob 
now assembled in order to witness the diffi- 
culties raised in the way of the foreigners ; 
and it required the utmost exertion, on 
the part of Gubaiyo, both with his long 
stick and still longer tongue, to keep the 
idle crowd at a respectful distance. 

Mounted at length, the party turned their 
backs toward the market-place, and entered 
upon a circuitous path, winding, by abrupt 
declivities and steep ascents, over three 
mountain torrents, toward the village of 
Sallal Hoola, at wh^h the night was to be 
passed. Kind r^ tu re had everywhere 
spread the ground witn her gifts in inex- 
haustible pro^ si °n and variety, supplying 
all the mq~' immediate wants of mankind, 
yet enfo^ m g the doom of labor so wisely 
impos^ u P on her lazy children. Rich 
acrr o of corn by the wayside were inter- 
g^rsed with quiet hamlets, and with lux- 
uriant meadows abounding in trefoil, and a 
vast variety of red and white clover. Crys- 
tal brooks leaped in numerous cascades, 
and hedgerows, gay with endless flowers, 
the dogrose and the fragrant jasmine, im- 
parted to the rural landscape an aspect 
quite European. 

Southern Abyssinia proper commences 
with Efat, at the foot of the first range of 
hills, which continue to increase both in 
altitude and fertility to the summit of the 
lofty barrier that stretches north and south 
to form the brink of the elevated table-land 
of Shoa. Violent storms of thunder and 
lightning, which usher in the rainy season, 



122 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



are attracted to this region, as well by the 

freat elevation of the mountain as by the 
ighly ferruginous nature of the rocks. It 
is a land of hill and valley, smiling under 
the influence of the copious deluge ; and 
so striking a contrast does it present to 
the general character and climate of the 
torrid zone, that at first sight the delighted 
traveller might believe himself transported 
by some fairy agency to his northern home. 
Ayto Wolda Hana, although loquacious 
enough, had been somewhat subdued by 
the temperature of the low country, to 
which, as well as to everything Mohamma- 
dan, he evinced an insuperable disrelish ; 
but once again within the influence of the 
cold mountain breeze beyond the limits of 
the wulasma's jurisdiction, and he was in 
his glory. Two running footmen kept pace 
with his gayly-caparisoned mule. Immedi- 
ately behind him rode a confidential hench- 
man, carrying the emblazoned shield and 
decorated lances which denoted his posi- 
tion in society ; and in the height of High- 
land anarchy the tail of the M'Gregor was 
seldom of longer dimensions than that of 
the pompous governor of Ankober. 

Suddenly leaving the party, the great 
man was observed to dive into a village by 
the road-side, whence in a few minutes he 
returned, issuing a variety of orders in a 
far from melodious tone of voice, which 
evidently had reference to the mulberry 
steed, already mentioned as having been 
brought from Aden. The animal had not 
been seen for many days, and every appli- 
cation regarding ft had been so dexterously 
evaded, that, although the tail had not been 
brought in, it was believed to have gone 
the way of all flesh. X) the surprise of 
every one, the charger, pricing and neigh- 
ing, was now led forth, in Uo best condi- 
tion, by one of the king's gv) ms. So 
thoroughly had the worthy functio^ rv been 
impressed with the erroneous conation, 
that it formed a part of the present deseed 
for his royal master, that the fortunate be^t 
had been turned into clover, and daily fec^ 
.with the choicest barley; whereas all its 
companions, although surrounded by plen- 
ty, had been suffered to starve. 

At Sallal Hoola, another hovel had been 
provided by the royal bounty, smaller in 
dimensions, more dark, dirty, and dismal, 
and infinitely better garrisoned with vermin 
than the abode wherein the last fortnight 
had been passed. Environed by miry 
swamps and stagnant pools, it presented an 
appearance the most gloomy and wretched, 
while the materials for comfort were, as 
usual, denied by the officious functionaries, 



who had taken care to deposit the baggage 
most needed in quarters of the village 
where, at so late an hour, free access was 
impossible. The gloomy recesses of the 
verandah were crowded with female slaves, 
occupied in the various processes of pre- 
paring bread, which the population had 
been called upon to supply in large quan- 
tities to the palace against the approaching 
arrival of the foreigners. In one corner, 
two old women who alternately plied their 
pestles to a most monotonous ditty, were 
pounding grain in a wooden mortar. In 
another a group of buxom lasses were rock- 
ing themselves to and fro over mills fash- 
ioned like the high-heeled slipper of the 
days of good Queen Bess, upon the inclined 
surface of which they contrived, with, a 
stone and great personal labor, to convert 
the grain into a form something resembling 
flour. It trickled in a scanty stream into 
a vessel placed below the depressed plane 
for its reception, and was presently wrought 
into thick cakes, full a foot and a half in 
diameter. These were merely shown to the 
fire, and a crude substance was thus pro- 
duced, which by a well-fed Indian elephant 
would certainly have been rejected with a 
severe admonition to his keeper. 

In this dreary and soul-depressing spot, 
destitute of beds and not overburdened with 
food, were experienced the very opposite of 
the delights of the Salt Lake — cold, damp, 
and wet in perfection ; but the glad pros- 
pect of an interview with his majesty on 
the morrow buoyed up the spirits of all, and 
misery was disregarded. Ayto Katama had 
proceeded in advance to Machal-wans, to 
seek at the royal hands permission to. fire 
a salute of twenty- one guns on the British 
embassy reaching the royal lodge, a point 
previously urged, but without success. It 
had already been brought to the king's no- 
tice, that the foreigners partook of food 
which had been prepared by Mohamma- 
dans — a proceeding which in Shoa is reck- 
oned equivalent to a renunciation of Chris- 
tianity. Ideas the most extravagant were, 
moreover, in circulation relative to the 
P 0v ers of the ordnance imported, the mere 
reporVpf which was believed sufficient to 
set fire to the earth, to shiver rocks, and 
dismantle mountain fastnesses. Men were 
said to have arrived with " copper legs," 
whose duty it Wvs to sorve those tremen- 
dous and terrible engines •> and in alarm 
for the safety of his palace, capital, and 
treasures, the suspicious monarch still pe- 
remptorily insisted upon withholding the 
desired licence, until he should have beheld 
the battery " with his own eyes," 



FIRST VIEW OF MACHAL-WANS. 



123 



CHAPTER XLV. 

PRESENTATION AT COURT. 

It rained incessantly with the greatest 
violence throughout the entire night, and 
until the morning broke, when a great vol- 
ume of white scud, rising from the deep 
valleys, and drifting like a scene-curtain 
across the stern summit of the giant Mam- 
rat — now frowning immediately overhead 
— foretold the nature of the weather that 
might be anticipated during the important 
and long-looked-for day. The baggage 
having, with considerable difficulty, been 
collected from the various nooks and cor- 
ners wherein the porters had deposited their 
loads, and no prospect of a brighter sky be- 
ing in store, the circumjacent morasses 
were waded to the face of the hill which 
obscured Machal-wans. Too steep and slip- 
pery for mules, this was also ascended on 
foot, with the aid of long staves ; and the 
rain, which had been dropping gently for 
some time, again setting in witff the most 
malicious steadiness, as if resolved to mar 
all attempt at display, the whole cavalcade 
was presently drenched to the skin. 

An hour's toil over very heavy ground 
opened a sudden turn in the road, whence 
the escort, resting their cumbrous match- 
locks over the rocks, commenced an indis- 
criminate fire — the reports of their heavily 
loaded culverins, mingled with the answer- 
ing note of welcome from the expectant 
crowd below, echoing long and loud among 
the broken glens. As the clouds of smoke 
floated slowly away on the dense atmosphere 
from the shoulder of the mountain, there 
burst upon the sight a lovely view of the 
stockaded palace at Machal-wans. Its co- 
nical white roofs were embosomed in a fair 
grove of juniper and cypress, which crested 
a beautifully wooded tumulus rising at the 
extreme verge of the valley from the very 
hanks of a roaring torrent. A bright gref- 1 
meadow, spangled with flowers, lay stitch- 
ed at its foot : the rose, the eglantfie, and 
the humble violet, grew around la all the 
grace of native wildness, to xpt&d recollec- 
tions of happier lands, whikthe great Abys- 
sinian range, which *ven here towered 
almost perpendicul'-iiy some two thousand 
feet overhead, arvi whose peaks were veiled 
in wreaths of vhite fog, formed a magnifi- 
cent background to the picture. Isolated 
farm-houses were profusely scattered over 
the verdant landscape — rich fields glistened 
in various stages of maturity — and the rills, 
swollen by the recent storm, came thun- 
dering over the mountain- side, in a succes- 
sion of foaming cascades. 
9* 



Another hour's wading through deep 
ploughed fields of beans and peas and stand- 
ing corn, and across the rapid torrent brawl- 
ing over a rocky bed, brought the draggled 
party to two time-worn awnings of black 
serge, which not five minutes before had 
been pitched for its accommodation in a 
swamp below the royal residence, and which 
admitted the rain through an infinity of 
apertures. This continued up to the last 
moment, thick and heavy ; but the utmost 
efforts of the deluge had proven insufficient 
to cleanse the mud-stained garments ; and 
now the tramp of six hundred porters, in 
addition to the vast crowd which had as- 
sembled to witness the long-looked-for ar- 
rival of the British .embassy, soon convert- 
ing the ground into a positive quagmire, 
ankle-deep in black mud, seemed to render 
utterly hopeless any attempt at the exhibi- 
tion of broadcloth and gold lace on the ap- 
proaching presentation at the court of Shoa. 
The governors of Ank&bar and Alio Am- 
ba, whose special affair it was to provide 
food, and otherwise to render assistance 
needed, left the visitors to pitch their own 
tent while they lounged in the palls, and 
contented themselves with urging the in- 
stant gratification of the royal curiosity, 
which was momentarily becoming more and 
more intense. Persecution on the part of 
the unruly and boisterous mob, to whom 
every object was new, meanwhile waxed 
greater and greater — thousands pressing 
forward to gaze as at wild beasts, and all 
contributing their mite to produce confu- 
sion and discomfort, now at the climax. 
Sally after sally was imde by the uproused 
commander- in-chi©-'' of the body-guard, and 
many were th<? long sticks broken to small 
fragments ov' e r the backs and shoulders of 
the°wild spectators, in the course of his 
vigprdm applications. But it was to no 
purpose. The ring was no sooner formed 
clian broken, and the self-constituted clerk 
of the course, becoming at length weary 
of his occupation, he joined his idle col- 
leagues in the tent, and left the multitude 
to their own devices. 

A remonstrance to the king, touching 
the indignities to which the liege subjects 
of Great Britain were thus exposed at the 
hands of the Amhara rabble, on the very 
outskirts of the palace, was followed by a 
visit from Birroo, the favorite page, bear- 
ing an apologetic message on the score of 
ignorance ; and repeated messages through 
this shrewd little confidant of royalty, who 
possessed all the airs of a spoiled pet, elicit- 
ed first permission to fire a single gun — 
then five — and lastly, the desired salute. 
With his assistance, moreover, the crowd 



124 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



was to a certain extent repelled, and the 
spacious tent having finally been erected, 
amid peals of savage wonder, the floor was 
strewed with heather, and with branches 
lopped from the myrtles and from various 
aromatic shrubs that grew thickly around, 
and preparations were at length commen- 
ced for the interview, which, during the 
continuance of the tumult and uproar, had 
been by a succession of messages repeat- 
edly and earnestly desired. 

It was now noon, and the weather hav- 
ing temporarily cleared, the British party, 
radiant with plumes and gold embroidery, 
succeeded, after much fruitless opposition, 
in mounting their gayly caparisoned steeds, 
and escorted by the governors, the com- 
mander-in-chief of the body-guard, and by 
a numerous and clamorous escort, proceed- 
ed in full uniform toward the palace. Ma- 
ny were the attempts made to enforce the 
etiquette which denies ascent in equestri- 
an order ; but as, on gaining the foot of the 
eminence, the roar of artillery burst from 
the centre of the encampment, and the 
deep valley, fast filling with white smoke, 
began to echo back the salute at the rate 
of six discharges in a minute, no further 
interference was attempted, and a univer- 
sal shout arose of " Malijia Ungliz, mel- 
com ! melcom .'" " Wonderful English, 
well done ! well done !" 

Noise, bustle, and confusion, which in 
Abyssinia are reckoned highly honorable 
to the guest, were again at their climax on 
reaching the outer wicket, where the form 
of obtaining the royal permission to pass, 
was to be observed ere entrance could be 
accorded by the state li^or-keepers. Fur- 
ther detention was expe*ienced in the 
court-yard, at the hands of sundry officers 
of the privy chamber, whose vis^es were 
but ill adapted to sustain the charatv> r f 
high official importance, and whose as- 
sumption of dignity proved singularly lu* 
dicrous. At length came a message ex- 
pressive of his majesty's unqualified sur- 
prise and satisfaction at the extraordinary 
celerity with which the guns were be- 
ing served, and his desire to see the em- 
bassy forthwith ; but attempting to ad- 
vance, opposition was again interposed, 
and it needed another message, and yet 
another command, before admission could 
be obtained to the royal presence— 

The last peal of ordnance was rattling 
in broken echoes along the mountain chain, 
as the British embassy stepped at length 
over the high threshold of the reception- 
hall. Circular in form, and destitute of the 
wonted Abyssinian pillar in the centre, the 
massive and lofty clay walls of the cham- 



ber glittered with a profusion of silver or- 
naments, emblazoned shields, matchlocks, 
and double-barrelled guns. Persian car- 
pets and rugs of all sizes, colors, and pat- 
terns, covered the floor ; and crowds of 
alakas, governors, chiefs, and principal of- 
ficers of the court, arrayed in their holiday 
attire, stood around in a posture of respect, 
uncovered to the girdle. Two wide alcoves 
receded on either side, in one of which 
blazed a cheerful wood fire, engrossed by 
indolent cats, while in the other, on a flow- 
ered satin ottoman, surrounded by wither- 
ed eunuchs and juvenile pages of honor, 
and supported by gay velvet cushions, re- 
clined in Ethiopic state his most Christian 
majesty Sahela Selassie. The deck aga- 
fari, or state door-keeper, as master of the 
ceremonies, stood with a rod of green rush- 
es to preserve the exact distance of approach 
to royalty, and as the British guests enter- 
ed the hall and made their bows to the 
throne, motioned them to be seated upon 
chairs that had previously been sent in — 
which done, it was commanded that all 
might be covered. 

The king was attired in a silken Arab 
vest of green brocade, partially shrouded 
under the ample folds of a white cotton 
robe of Abyssinian manufacture, adorned 
with sundry broad crimson stripes and 
borders. Forty summers, whereof eight- 
and-twenty had been passed under the un- 
easy cares of the crown, had slightly 
furrowed his dark brow, and somewhat 
grizzled a full bushy head of hair, arranged 
in elaborate curls, after the fashion of 
George the First ; and although consider- 
ably disfigured by the loss of the left eye, 
the expression of his manly features, open, 
pleasing, and commanding, did not in 
their tout ensemble belie the character for 
impartial justice which the despot has ob- 
tained far and wide — even the Danakil 
comparing him to " a fine balance of gold." 
All those manifold salutations and in- 
quiries which overwrought politeness here 
enforu, Sj duly concluded, the letters with 
which &e embassy had been charged — 
enveloped i n flowered muslin and rich 
gold kimkhao —were presented in a san- 
dal-wood casket,^ minutely inlaid with 
ivory ; and the comets having been read 
and expounded, the costly presents from 
the British government vere introduced 
in succession, to be spread -^ut before the 
glistening eyes of the court The rich 
Brussels carpet which completely covered 
the hall, together with Cachemiire shawls 
and embroidered Delhi scarfs of resplen- 
dent hues, attracted universal attention, 
and some of the choicest specimens were 






THE PRESENTS DELIVERED. 



125 



from time to time handed to the alcove by 
the chief of the eunuchs. On the intro- 
duction of each new curiosity, the sur- 
prise of the king became more and more 
unfeigned. Bursts of merriment followed 
the magic revolutions of a group of Chi- 
nese dancing figures ; and when the Eu- 
ropean escort in full uniform, with the 
sergeant at their head, marched into the 
centre of the hall — faced in front of the 
throne, and performed the manual and 
platoon exercises, amid jewelry glittering 
on the rugs, gay shawls and silver cloths 
which strewed the floor, ornamented 
clocks chiming, and musical boxes play- 
ing " God save the Queen," his majesty 
appeared quite entranced, and declared 
that he possessed no words to express his 
gratitude. But many and bright were the 
smiles that lighted up the royal features, 
as three hundred muskets, with bayonets 
fixed, were piled in front of the footstool. 
A buzz of mingled wonder and applause, 
which half drowned the music, arose 
from the crowded courtiers ; and the mea- 
sure of the warlike monarch's satisfaction 
now filled to overflowing. " God will re- 
ward you," he exclaimed, " for I cannot." 

But astonishment and admiration knew 
no bounds, as the populace next spread 
over the face of the hills to witness the 
artillery practice, which formed the sequel 
to the presentation of these princely gifts. 
A sheet was attached to the opposite face 
of the ravine. The green valley again 
rung to the unwonted roar of ordnance ; 
and as the white cloth flew in shreds to 
the wind, under a rapid discharge of round 
shot, canister, and grape, amid the crumb- 
ling of the rock, and the rush of the fall- 
ing stones, the before despised sponge- 
staves became a theme of eulogy to the 
monarch as well as to the gaping peasant. 
A shout rose long and loud over the peal- 
ing echoes which rattled from hill to hill ; 
and far along the serrated chain was pro- 
claimed the arrival of foreign guests, and 
the royal acquisition, through their means, 
of potent engines of war. 

Compliments from the throne, and per- 
sonal congratulations from the principal 
courtiers and officers of state, closed the 
evening of this unwonted display ; and 
the introduction, by the hands of the fa- 
vorite page, of a huge pepper pie, the 
produce of the royal kitchen, with a com- 
mand that " the king's children might 
feast," was accompanied by the unheard- 
of honor of a visit from the dwarf father 
confessor, who might without difficulty 
have concealed his most diminutive per- 
son beneath the ample pastry. Enveloped 



in robes and turbans, and armed with sil- 
ver cross and crosier, the deformed little 
priest, whose entire long life has been 
passed in doing good to his fellow-crea- 
tures, seating his hideous and Punch-like 
form in a chair placed for its reception, in. 
squeaking accents delivered himself thus : 
" Forty years have rolled away since 
Asfa Woosen, on whose memory be peace, 
grandsire to our beloved monarch, saw in 
a dream that the red men were bringing 
into his kingdom curious and beautiful 
commodities, from countries beyond the 
great sea. The astrologers, on being 
commanded to give an interpretation 
thereof, predicted with one accord that 
foreigners from the land of Egypt would 
come into Abyssinia during his majesty's 
most illustrious reign, and that yet more 
and wealthier would follow in that of his 
son, who should sit next upon the throne. 
Praise be unto God, that the dream and 
its interpretation have now been fulfill- 
ed ! Our eyes, though they be old, have 
never beheld wonders until this day ; and 
during the reign over Shoa of seven suc- 
cessive kings, no such miracles as these 
have been wrought in Ethiopia." 



CHAPTER XLVI 

THE CAPITAL OF THE KINGDOM OF SHOA. 

His Christian majesty passed the greater 
portion of the wet night succeeding the 
presentation of the British embassy, in re- 
vels amid the foreign riches so unexpect- 
edly heaped upon him. Every novel article 
was minutely examined with all the curi- 
osity of the savage ; and the royal scribes, 
having been duly assembled, elaborate in- 
ventories were penned upon scrolls of 
parchment, to be deposited for the edifica- 
tion of posterity in the archives of the 
kingdom. The fire-arms and the warlike 
munitions were transferred forthwith to the 
grand arsenal ; the rich manufactures of 
the loom were added to the shelves of the 
palace wardrobes ; and the curiosities, in- 
cluding the Chinese dancing girls, were 
carefully immured in the mouldy maga- 
zines of Mamrat, Kondie, and Aramba, 
with labels and tickets setting forth their 
respective properties, and proclaiming to 
future occupants of the throne of Shoa that 
these wonders were added to the state trea- 
sures by the red men called Gyptzis, who 
came " from beyond " during the auspicious 
reign of Sahela Selassie. 

Ere day had dawned, the favorite page 



126 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



was deputed to inquire how the interval of 
rest had been passed by the king's guests, 
and whether all had slumbered happily. 
Etiquette demanded that the reply should 
be in the affirmative ; but if an estimate 
were formed from the drenched and mis- 
erable aspect of the tent, the report made 
to the palace must have been far from fa- 
vorable. In the absence of the cap, which 
had been lost upon the road, the fly of the 
marquee was hastily lashed with cords to 
the pole, and becoming saturated during 
the pelting storm which ushered in the 
dark hours, it had presently slidden down, 
and formed a funnel, which completely put 
an end to sleep. 

Hajji Kasim and Izhak, who, with some 
of their bigoted Moslem.. retainers, had re- 
paired to court to witness the reception of 
" the Christian dogs," had presented them- 
selves at nightfall, wet, shivering, and 
■famished, to implore an asylum, which, 
together with food, had been denied by the 
officers of the royal household. Upon the 
principle of good for evil, the hunger of the 
applicants was at once appeased ; but the 
untoward fall of the canvas fabric had ren- 
dered migatory the hospitality extended in 
the form of bedclothes, to which each of 
the party had contributed his mite. Drench- 
ed to the skin, the true believers, spite of 
their covering of lard, were fairly swamped 
where they lay, and the ras el kafilah's pet 
Koran having been trampled under foot in 
the confusion attendant upon re-pitching, 
he angrily left the tent in the morning by 
one door, at the moment that the spoiled 
page entered by the other, grumbling as he 
went, " Allah ! how could the sacred vol- 
ume experience any better fate at the hand 
of infidels ?" 

Six hundred peasants, who had been 
pressed on the service of the state from the 
Mohammadan villages of Argobba, after 
transporting the king's baggage from Alio 
Amba to Machal-wans, had bivouacked 
without food or shelter upon the bare satu- 
rated ground, and were strewed over the 
greensward like the slain on a battle-field. 
As the day dawned, their loud cries of 
" Abiet, abiet" " Master, master," arose to 
the palace gates from every quarter of the 
valley ; but they lifted up their sad voices 
in vain, and reiterated entreaties for dis- 
missal passing unheeded, a number of oxen, 
sufficient to allay the cravings of hunger, 
were with great difficulty purchased by the 
embassy, delivered over for slaughter, and 
slain and eaten raw upon the spot. 

The sceptic in Europe, who still with- 
holds his credence from Bruce's account of 
an Abyssinian brind feast, would have been 



edified by the sight now presented on the 
royal meadow. Crowds swarmed around 
each sturdy victim to the knife, and im- 
petuously rushing in with a simultaneous 
yell, seized horns, and legs, and tail. A 
violent struggle to escape followed the 
assault. Each vigorous bound shook off 
and scattered a portion of the assailants, 
but the stronger and more athletic retained 
still their grasp, and resolutely grappling 
and wrestling with the prize, finally pre- 
vailed. With a loud groan of despair the 
bull was thrown kicking to the earth. 
Twenty crooked knives flashed at once 
from the scabbard — a tide of crimson gore 
proclaimed the work of death, and the hun- 
gry butchers remained seated on the quiv- 
ering carcass, until the last bubbling jet 
had welled from the widely-severed and 
yawning throat. 

Rapidly from that moment advanced the 
work of demolition. The hide was opened 
in fifty places, and collop after collop of 
warm flesh and muscle — sliced and scrap* 
ed from the bone — was borne offin triumph. 
Groups of feasting savages might now be 
seen seated on the wet grass in every di- 
rection, greedily munching and bolting the 
raw repast, and pounds were with all held 
of light account. Entrails and orTai did 
not escape. In a quarter of an hour nought 
remained of the carcass save hoofs and 
horns, and the disappointed vultures of the 
air assembling round the scene of slaughter 
with the village curs, found little indeed to 
satisfy their hunger. 

During this general carousal of the 
grateful host, the smooth-spoken purveyor- 
general, who was completely at a loss to 
comprehend the meaning of "the liberality 
extended, advanced with a sleek and pam- 
pered band of parasites. The assistance 
of the unfeeling functionary had been crav- 
ed in vain, and he now, after casting a con- 
temptuous glance toward the sated serfs, 
in honied words inquired with obvious sur- 
prise, " whether the party had not rested 
well, that they thus troubled their heads 
unnecessarily about the worthless bonds- 
men of the negoos V 

Preparatory to setting out for Ankober, 
the embassy had an audience of the king. 
" My children," quoth his majesty, " all my 
gun-people shall accompany you ; may you 
enter in safety ! Whatsoever your hearts 
think and wish, that send word unto me. 
Saving myself, ye have no relative in this 
distant land. Ye have travelled far on my 
affairs. I will give you what I can accord- 
ing to that which my country produces. 
I cannot give you what I do not possess. 
Be not afraid of me. Listen not to the 



THE METROPOLIS OF SHOA. 



127 



evil insinuations of my people, for they are 
bad. Look only unto Sahela Selassie. 
May his father die, he will accomplish 
whatsoever ye desire !" 

The sun shone bright amid the fleecy 
white clouds of an azure sky, as the party 
left the wet encampment in the valley, 
and under an escort of fusileers took the 
way to the capital, without that regret 
which is usually felt on quitting the pre- 
cincts of royalty. A green swampy mead- 
ow led to the foot of the mountains, over 
which numberless cascades foamed fu- 
riously to the plain. Supported from the 
base to the utmost summit by artificial ter- 
races, and clothed with the most luxuriant 
cultivation, there were parts over which it 
seemed hardly possible that the plough 
should have passed at so great an angle. 
But wheat and barley delight in a dry 
stony soil, and with a fair proportion of the 
"former and the latter rain," will here 
yield abundant return to those who by their 
industry strive to emulate the prosperity of 
more happily located neighbors. 

From Machal-wans to Ank&ber the dis- 
tance does not exceed six miles ; but the 
ascent is great -and immediate, and the re- 
duction in temperature perceptible in every 
step. Springs gushed out clear and spark- 
ling, on either side of the rugged path. 
Many beautiful plants, the pride of the 
greenhouse of exotics, luxuriated in the 
moist atmosphere. At intervals, farm- 
steadings varied the scene ; and, although 
the rich sheets of cultivation in the more 
immediate vicinity of the capital had some- 
what abstracted from the bloom of native 
verdure, still the prospect was delightful, 
and the change more than ever striking 
from the hot deserts of the Adaiel, which 
now at a yet greater depression, stretched 
away in fading tints to the extreme point 
of vision. 

The latter portion of the road lay through 
a forest of venerable trees. Cedar-like 
junipers, scarred by the unsparing hand 
of time, and many dried up by the wrath 
of centuries, rearing toward the cold sky 
their tall, withered, barkless trunks and 
skeleton arms, rocked to every breeze. 
Younger scions of the stock, clothed in a 
sombre cypress garb, flourished in vigor 
among the drooping and silvery tvoira, of 
which the pensive branches were hoary 
with ancient moss hanging in fanciful fes- 
toons ; and saving when the zephyr sighed 
through the foliage, or a bird whistled 
from the topmost branch, silence reigned 
throughout the sylvan scene. 

Whether in Europe or in half-civilized 
Abyssinia, monastic establishments are in- 



variably seated in spots the most romantic. 
Deep in the recesses of Aferbeine stands 
the church and monastery dedicated to 
Tekla Haimanot, an ecclesiastic of extra- 
ordinary abilities who flourished during the 
thirteenth century, and rescuing the great- 
er portion of the empire from the yoke 
of usurpation, restored it to the hands of 
Yekweno Amlak, the lineal descendant of 
the ancient Ethiopic dynasty. Subsequent- 
ly canonized for his successful exertions 
in the cause both of church and state, the 
monk, whose history is obscured with 
numberless superstitious traditions, is to 
the present day held in the highest odor 
and veneration. Thrice, during the year 
is a festival held in celebration of his birth, 
death, and ascension : and by the entire 
Christian population he is regarded as the 
patron saint of Abyssinia. 

Instantly on emerging from the forest, 
the metropolis of Shoa, spreading far and 
wide over a verdant mountain, shaped like 
Afric's appropriate emblem, the fabled 
sphynx, presented a most singular if not 
imposing appearance. Clusters of thatched 
houses of all sizes and shapes, resembling 
barns and haystacks, with small green in- 
closures and splinter palings, rising one 
above the other in very irregular tiers, 
adapt themselves to all the inequalities of 
the rugged surface ; some being perched 
high on the abrupt verge of a clifl^ and 
others so involved in the bosom of a deep 
fissure as scarcely to reveal the red earth- 
en pot on the apex. Connected with each 
other by narrow lanes and hedgerows, 
these rude habitations, the residence of 
from twelve to fifteen thousand inhabitants, 
cover the entire mountain-side to the ex- 
treme pinnacle — a lofty spire-like cone, 
detaching itself by a narrow isthmus to 
form the sphynx's head. Hereon stands 
the palace of the negoos, a most ungainly- 
looking edifice with staring gable-ends and 
numerous rows of clay chimney-pots, well 
fortified by spiral lines of wooden palisades, 
extending from the base to the summit, 
and interspersed with barred stockades, 
between which are profusely scattered the 
abodes of household slaves, with breweries, 
kitchens, cellars, storehouses, magazines, 
and granaries. 

Over those portions unengrossed by cul- 
tivation, or by architecture, shrubs and 
bushes and great beds of nettles assumed 
the most luxuriant and lively appearance. 
Huge fallen masses of rock strewed the 
lower valleys, and others, frowning at an 
acute angle upon the impending steeps, 
seemed ready to be launched at a mo- 
ment's notice upon the clustering habita- 



128 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tions below; while in the distance, the 
bronze cross of the church of " our Lady," 
peeping above the dark foliage of the yew- 
like juniper, touched the string of strange 
sensations, surrounded as the spectators 
were by wild objects and by a wilder es- 
cort, above whose streaming locks floated 
bloody emblems that breathed aught save j 
conformity to the mild tenets of the Chris- 
tian religion. 

Anko, who was queen over the Galla 
tribe, by which this mountain was peopled 
from the invasion of Graan until its recon- 
quest by the crown of Shoa, has bequeath- 
ed her name to the narrow winding path 
which forms the " for" or gate to the sub- 
urbs * Skirting the brink of a yawning 
abyss, and scarcely wide enough for the 
foot of a mule, it is not traversed without 
a feeling of insecurity, and the labon of a 
few hours would suffice to render all ap- 
proach to the capital impracticable, unless 
tc the mountain goat. Loud cheers from 
the whole assembled population, female as 
well as male, greeted the arrival of the 
king's guest, the thunder of whose guns 
in the adjacent valley had given birth to a 
feeling of respect in the breast of all ; nor 
was it without considerable difficulty that 
way was nlade through the dense crowd 
that whitened the entire hill-side, and lined 
every valley. A newly erected building 
fronting the palace had been set apart by 
his majesty for the occupation of his visi- 
tors, and it was now completely thronged 
by porters, and beleaguered by clamorous 
spectators. 

Wistful looks were exchanged as the 
party entered this barn-like and dreary 
abode, which for months, if not for years, 
was to form their asylum. A decent new 
thatch, and a neat basket-work ceiling, did 
indeed form a roof to the structure, but 
further, the crude and unfinished shell 
whereon they rested, could hardly claim 
the denomination of " a house." It rath- 
ex resembled a den in Exeter 'Change, or 
an aviary upon a magnified scale ; and the 
open hide-lashed ribs, being innocent 
throughout of dab or plaster to choke the 
interstices, wind, rain, and mountain fog 
considered themselves to be equally his 
majesty's guests, entitled to the occupation 
of the uninviting interior. Oblong in form, 
windowless, chimneyless, and provided at 
either end with a lofty but narrow door, 
rudely fashioned of massive planks and 
beams, each of which, in the absence of a 
saw, had involved the demolition of an en- 

* Ankober is thus literally " the gate of Anko. 1 ' 



tire tree, the edifice yet afforded an unusu- 
ally favorable specimen of Shoan architec- 
ture ; and to account for its desolate and 
unfinished condition, it may be proper to 
add, that the proprietor, who had been 
honored with the fair hand of a princess 
of the blood-royal, having a few weeks 
previously been so unfortunate as to incur 
the displeasure of his despotic father-in- 
law, now* occupied apartments in the state 
prison, while the management of his es- 
tate was, ad interim, considerately under- 
taken by the crown, without even the 
preliminary of a fieri facias. 

Inner walls divided the centre room from 
two narrow verandahs, intended for the 
reception of mules, horses, and household 
lumber. The floor was precisely as nature 
made it, depressed rather than raised, and 
little improved by the many recent inun- 
dations to which it had been subjected. 
Torrents of muddy water rushed impetu- 
ously round the trench which environed 
the sntire structure, and occasionally burst- 
ing the banks of the dike, oozed copiously 
between the palisades, to cover the soil 
with artificial lakes ; while the small open 
area beyond, into which it disembogued — 
hemmed in on all sides by rank vegetation, 
stinging nettles, and half-ruined but nois- 
ily inhabited hovels — was, without any ex- 
aggeration, eighteen inches deep in honest 
mire. 

The pilgrimage thus finally terminated, 
the prospect, both within and without, was 
still altogether far from encouraging ; but 
the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer 
standing at 58°, it became necessary to 
adopt immediate measures toward the ex- 
clusion of the cold driving mist and the 
whistling wind, which the absence of a 
fire rendered far from agreeable. The 
union flag of old England, stretched across 
the hall, lent the aid of its ample folds to 
enliven the interior. Tent walls and tar- 
paulins composed tolerably comfortable, 
though straitened, cabins in the verandah 
closets. Gun-cases, placed on end, and 
connected by the lid of a chest, formed a 
highly enviable table, and with a puncheon 
as a washing-stand, and two swinging 
shelves overhead, completed the furniture 
of each apartment. Boxes and bales, as 
they continued to arrive, were piled around 
the inner walls, and soon towering to the 
ceiling, the appearance of a booth at a 
country fair, on a rainy day, ere the wares 
have been .exposed for sale, was gradually 
imparted to this highly unique residency 
in the capital of Shoa. 



THE RAINY SEASON— BANKS OF FOG. 



129 



CHAPTER XLVJI. 

RESIDENCE IN ANKOBER. 

But darkness now reigned within the 
cheerless abode, no less during the stormy 
nights than throughout the livelong day. 
Candles that will burn for more than ten 
minutes together, or afford light sufficient 
either to read or write, are luxuries which 
have no existence in so primitive and be- 
nighted a land : and strips of old cotton 
rags dipped in unpurified bees' wax, form- 
ing, like most other good things in the 
empire, a royal monopoly, are doled out 
by the purveyor-general to the favored few, 
with a sparing and niggard hand ; while 
the absence of glass or other transparent 
substance, and the continued presence of 
rain, sleet, and clouds, and fog thicker than 
the steam of a wash-house, rendered it for 
some time difficult to admit the scanty 
light of heaven during its fitful visits 
through the overcast atmosphere. 

Wood, too, belongs exclusively to the 
despot, and is far from being abundant in 
the timberless realm ; but packing-cases 
as they became empty, were furnished 
with a sheet of oiled parchment, and these 
admirable substitutes for glazed sashes, 
were, in defiance of exhortations not to de- 
face the king's walls, inserted therein, 
from time to time. A chafing dish, raised 
upon a high mud pedestal, at length cheer- 
ed the long dreary evenings, but the wet 
sodden fuel yielded a very feeble blaze, 
and its dense smoke, choking the chimney- 
less room, covered walls and roof with 
soot ; — and lastly, tallow dips manufac- 
tured of the fat tail of the Ethiopian sheep, 
afforded sufficient light by which to retire 
to bed, where fleas, revived by the un- 
wonted warmth • of English blankets, de- 
nied all rest. 

The low moaning of the storm behind 
Mamrat, and the distant growl of the thun- 
der, ushered in the darker hours. There 
was a sound as of the surf breaking over 
a rocky shore, and at the next instant the 
hurricane was at its height, careering mad- 
ly over Ankober. The rush of the fierce 
wind, and the dazzling flight of the levin 
bolt, madly strove for mastery in the race. 
Crashing reverberations of thunder rattled 
among the serrated cliffs like a, feu de joie 
of great guns : the prolonged roll of one 
deafening clap confounded with the burst 
of its successor, while the very gates of 
heaven seemed to open to the flooding of 
the earth with a deluge of water, which 
poured in sheets over the heights. Every 
lane and footpath throughout the town be- 



came a sluice ankle deep in running water, 
and ever and anon, so long as the night 
lasted, might be heard the distant boom, 
like the signal-gun of a vessel in distress. 
Dawn next revealed a strange phenom- 
The saturated earth, heated by the 



enon. 

rays of the rising sun, gave birth to an 
impenetrable vapor, which like a vast sheet 
of snow, lay extended in a solid mass full 
fifty miles across. The spectator rode upon 
a sea of billowy clouds which rolled be- 
neath his foot, lashing with their spray the 
dark islands formed by the peaks of the 
higher mountains ; and beyond, in the hot 
Adel plain, might be seen the Hawash, 
like a thread of burnished silver, winding 
and gleaming through the distance until 
melted into the limits of the sensible hori- 
zon. As the great bank of fog ascended, 
all around became wet and clammy to the 
touch ; and the mist, although sluggish 
and slow to move, was of a nature so keen- 
ly searching, that, in defiance of all muf- 
fling, it seemed to penetrate to the very 
bones of each shrinking mortal. 

Together with those privations which 
are common to a residence among all 
savage nations, there are many which 
Abyssinia claims exclusively as her own ; 
nor, if viewed only as a place of abode, 
does the country possess aught save the 
salubrity of the climate to counterbalance 
its manifold discomforts and disadvantages. 
Although in the midst of abundance, the 
utmost difficulty was experienced in ob- 
taining the most common necessaries of 
existence — bread, meat, and water ; and 
notwithstanding that a sufficiency of wheat 
to sustain life for an entire year may be 
purchased for one German crown, yet 
where the stranger is concerned, the grain 
without assistance of the monarch, can 
scarcely be converted into the staff of life 
— the process entailing all the petty worry 
and annoyance which in other lands are 
solely undertaken and performed by me- 
nials. 

In a kingdom where the inhabitants are 
solely dependent upon the exertions of 
slaves, the difficulties are increased ten- 
fold to those who are obliged to employ 
hired domestics. The markets are at a 
great distance from the capital, and held 
at lengthy intervals between ; nor are they 
at any time so well supplied as to admit 
of the requisite weekly stock being pur- 
chased at any individual place. Hence 
much trouble and inconvenience arose 
from the necessity of dispatching messen- 
gers simultaneously to the various remote 
bazaars ; and very great difficulty was ex- 
perienced in preserving even the small 



130 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



number of live stock required for consump- 
tion, in a country where all the surround- 
ing meadows pertain alike to the crown, 
and where hired labor is so difficult to be 
procured. 

While porters are not to be obtained 
unless through a direct mandate from the 
king, the unwillingness of mule owners to 
hire their cattle at the existing low rate, 
the displeasure and heart-burning of the 
authorities if a larger bribe were offered, 
the badness of the roads, and the steepness 
of the hills, all combine to render it a per- 
plexing matter to dispense with this spe- 
cies of service. On the other hand, the 
greatest difficulty is experienced in provi- 
ding the means of maintenance for a per- 
manent establishment of baggage horses 
with their attendants, owing* to the exist- 
ing necessity of distributing them in small 
lots, among the limited private grazing 
grounds in the vicinity, whence, when 
wanted, they are not to be obtained with- 
out infinite difficulty. 

Every arrangement, however minute in 
detail, or trivial in importance, here de- 
mands a sacrifice of time and temper in a 
tedious and lengthy conference, which, in 
accordance with the custom of the coun- 
try, must be carried on by the principal 
persons engaged in the transaction. No- 
thing whatever is to be purchased, nor can 
anything, however trifling, be accorded 
without the royal mandate, and when that 
is at last obtained, the applicant would ap- 
pear to be further than ever removed from 
the realization of his object. " It is done," 
is the mode of signifying that a request is 
granted, and the despot believes that to 
will is to accomplish ; but while his com- 
mands are usually obeyed more to the let- 
ter than in the spirit in which they have 
been given, his public officers embrace 
every opportunity of consulting the inte- 
rests of the privy purse, to the stranger's 
disadvantage. 

In utter abhorrence of the country and 
its inhabitants, the Moslem servants who 
accompanied the embassy from India, all 
took their departure, willing rather to brave 
the dangers and difficulties of a long jour- 
ney through the inhospitable deserts of the 
Ada'iel, than to prolong a hateful sojourn in 
Abyssinia. One half of the number were 
murdered on the way down, and the places 
of all long remained empty. In any part 
of the world it would be difficult to find 
domestics inferior to their Christian suc- 
cessors, all equally mangy from their diet, 
and glorying alike in vermin. The con- 
sumption of brundo, or raw beef, and the 
sleeping off a surfeit which, in its progress 



toward stupor exhilarated them to positive 
intoxication, formed the sum total of their 
services ; yet every idle noisy vagabond 
who was in the receipt of four pieces of 
salt per mensem, with the promise of a new 
cloth annually, value three shillings and 
ninepence sterling, held himself entitled to 
a permanent place before the drawing-room 
fire. 

All stipulated for one day out of the thirty 
on which to drink cosso, and during the 
other twenty-nine, few ever stirred without 
grumbling. Honesty is not prominent 
among the Abyssinian virtues, and the lack 
of it sometimes redounded to the discredit 
of the master. A youth who was intrust- 
ed with a star-dollar to purchase sheep in 
the adjacent market, ingeniously contrived 
to smuggle into the flock two for which he 
had not paid, being convinced that such an 
economical arrangement must prove highly 
agreeable to his employers, and thus lead 
to his own advancement. A hue and cry 
was raised on the discovery of the theft, 
and it required some time to persuade the 
magisterial authorities that the goatherd 
had not been defrauded with the cogni- 
zance of the bala-beit.* 

An afero or janizary had been specially 
appointed as a spy over the actions of the 
foreigners, and he speedily rendered him- 
self sufficiently obnoxious. Not satisfied 
with prying into the contents of boxes for 
the information of the purveyor-general, 
his immediate superior, he reported to the 
throne every the most minute circumstance 
that occurred, and was the originator of 
such serious mischief, that he was shortly 
turned out of the house in disgrace-, with 
an order never to show his face again. 

Ethiopia derived her faith from the foun- 
tain of Alexandria ; but how is her Chris- 
tianity disfigured by folly and superstition ! 
The intolerance of the bigoted clergy, who 
rule with the iron hand of religious ascend- 
ency, soon proclaimed the British worse 
than pagans, for the non-observance of 
absurd fasts and blasphemous doctrines ; 
and the inhabitants, priest-ridden to a de- 
gree, received their cue of behavior prin- 
cipally from their most despotic tyrant, the 
church. Unquies, the comus or bishop of 
Shoa, was the most open and undisguised 
in his hostilities. Beset by evil thoughts 
at an early age, he imitated the example 
set by Origines, the celebrated ecclesiastic, 
who lived 3 in the third century ; and so 
much is he respected by the monarch for 
his austerities and religious devotion, that 
his majesty invariably speaks of him as 

* Master of the house. 



CATHEDRAL OF ST. MICHAEL. 



131 



the strong monk." To him was traced 
a report that the embassy were to be sum- 
marily expelled the country, in conse- 
quence of the non-observance of the fasts 
prescribed by the Ethiopic creed, and be- 
cause a great lady, whose spies they were, 
was on her way from the sea-eoast, with a 
large military force, to overturn the true 
religion, put the king to death, and assume 
possession of all Abyssinia. 

On the festival of the Holy Virgin, the 
cemetery was thrown open wherein rest 
the remains of Asfa Woosen, grandsire to 
Sahela Selassie. It is a building adjoining 
the church of St. Mary ; and a message 
was sent soliciting the lord bishop's per- 
mission to visit the mausoleum. An inso- 
lent reply was returned, that since the 
English were in the habit of drinking cof- 
fee and smoking tobacco, both of which 
Mohammadan abominations are interdict- 
ed in Shoa, upon religious grounds, they 
could not be admitted within the precincts 
of the hallowed edifice, as it would be pol- 
luted by the foot of a Gyptzi. 

Divine service was nevertheless attend- 
ed in the less inimical of the five churches 
of the capital, and offerings were made ac- 
cording to the wont of the country. The 
cathedral of St. Michael, distinguished 
above all compeers by a sort of Chinese 
lantern on the apex, being invariably at- 
tended by the monarch, came first in order ; 
and after wading through the miry kennels 
that form the avenues of access, the slipper 
was unlaced in accordance with Jewish 
prejudice, and the foot of the heretic Euro- 
pean stepped upon a floor of muddy rushes. 
The scowling eye of the bigoted and igno- 
rant priest sparkled with a gleam of unre- 
pressed satisfaction at the sight of a rich 
altar cloth, glowing with silk and gold, 
which had been unfolded to his gaze ; and 
a smile of delight played around the corners 
of his mouth, as the hard dollars rung in 
his avaricious palm. 

A strange, though degrading and humil- 
iating sight, rewarded admittance thus 
gained to the circular interior of the sa- 
cred building. Coarse walls, only partial- 
ly white-washed, rose in sombre earth but 
a few feet overhead, and the suspended 
ostrich-egg — emblem of heathenish idola- 
try — almost touched the head of the vis- 
itors, as they were ushered in succession 
to the seat of honor among the erudite. 
In a broad verandah, strewed throughout 
with dirty wet rushes, were crowded the 
blind, the halt, and the lame — an unwashed 



herd of sacred drones, muffled in the skin 
of the agazin; and this group of turbaned 
monks and hireling beggars formed the 
only congregation present. 

The high priest, having proclaimed the 
munificence of the strangers, pronounced 
his solemn benediction. Then arose a 
burst of praise the most agonizing and un- 
earthly that ever resounded from dome 
dedicated to Christian worship. No deep 
mellow chant from the chorister — no soul- 
inspiring roll of the organ, pealing with 
the cadence of the anthem, lifted the heart 
toward heaven. The Abyssinian cathedral 
rang alone to the excruciating jar of most 
unmitigated discord ; and amid howling 
and screaming, each sightless orb was 
rolled in its socket, and every mutilated 
limb convulsed with disgusting vehemence. 
A certain revenue is attached to the per- 
formance of the duty ; and for one poor 
measure of black barley bread, the hired 
lungs w r ere taxed to the extremity ; but 
not the slightest attempt could be detected 
at music or modulation, and the dissonant 
chink of the timbrel was ably seconded by 
the cracked voice of the mercenary vocal- 
ist, as his notes issued at discretion. 

No liturgy followed the cessation of 
these hideous screams. The service was 
at an end ; and the aldka, beckoning the 
visitors to follow, led the way round the 
edifice. The walls were adorned with a 
few shields, and with miserable daubs re- 
presenting the Madonna, the Holy Trinity 
in ccelo, the Father of Evil enveloped in 
flames, St. Peter and St. Paul, St. George 
and his green dragon, St. Demetrius van- 
quishing the lion, St. Tekla Haimanot, 
St. Balaam and his ass, the Patron Saint, 
and every other saint in the Abyssinian 
calendar. But they boasted of no sculp- 
tured monument raised to departed w r orth 
or genius — no proud banner or trophy of 
heroic deeds — and no marble tablet to mark 
the quiet rest of the soldier, the statesman, 
or the scholar. In the holy of holies, which 
may be penetrated by none save the high 
priest, is deposited the sacred tabot, or ark 
of the faith, consecrated at Gondar by the 
delegate of the Coptic patriarch ; and 
around the veil that fell before this myste- 
rious emblem, there hung in triumph four 
sporting pictures from the pencil of Aiken, 
which had been presented to his majesty. 
They represented the great Leicestershire 
steeple-chase ; and Dick Christian, with 
his head in a ditch, occupied by far the 
most prominent niche in the boasted cathe- 
dral of St. Michael ! 



132 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

INTERVIEWS WITH THE KING. 

Meanwhile, during the tedious fast ob- 
served by all classes in commemoration of 
the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, the 
king continued his residence at Machal- 
wans. On such occasions, his majesty 
seeks the retirement of a country-seat, and 
subsists upon fish, eaten raw, with vegeta- 
ble oil and pepper. He is moreover averse 
to occupy the palace at Ankober in the 
rainy season, when the elevated position 
of the isolated peak whereon it stands, be- 
comes a fearful mark for lightning, by 
which it is often struck ; while huge 
masses of rock, loosened from the adjacent 
heights, come thundering into the valley, 
to the annihilation of every house that op- 
poses their headlong course. The greater 
part of the court, however, continued to 
reside at the capital, and many were the 
demands made for presents by public offi- 
cers of the state, among whom the Abys- 
sinian habit of begging is sufficiently rife. 

" There be pleasing things in my coun- 
try which are not in yours," was the usual 
form of application, "and fine things in 
your country which are not found in mine." 
Well assured that no return would be ac- 
cepted for what they coveted, many had 
recourse to a species of refinement in the 
art of begging — the offer of block salt, to 
wit — and, amole in hand, they desired that 
the wares brought for sale might forthwith 
be exposed. Others tendered mamalachas, 
or trifling offerings, which, if once accept- 
ed, are considered to establish a claim to 
ready acquiescence in demands the most 
preposterous. Broken decanters were ex- 
hibited four times over by the domestics 
of the royal household, who, with tears in 
their eyes, entreated the price of the vessel 
as the only means of saving them from 
condign punishment. A shield was never 
defaced, nor a mule lost, that the delinquent 
did not refer himself to the residency, for 
the amount of fine imposed, and one of the 
imperial footmen finally sought to place 
beyond all question his right to appropriate 
the very cloth upon the table. " I am the 
waiter in the great banquetting-hall," quoth 
the modest applicant, "and therefore I re- 
quire this cloth as a dress." 

Nor were even the royal family idle du- 
ring this interval. Belete-Shatchau, " su- 
perior to all," a notable shrew lately divorced 
by the governor of Mans, and daughter of 
the queen by a former marriage — first in 
order — and then Worka Ferri, " golden 
fruit," another of the princesses royal — es- 



tablished their respective claims to articles 
of British manufacture, beads, chintz, and 
tinsel, by the presentation of potent hydro- 
mel in long-necked barilles, screened under 
wicker cases. Their example was speed- 
ily followed by the illustrious Queen Besa- 
besh, " thou hast increased," who begged 
to be informed what " delightful things " 
had been brought for her acceptance. But 
the report of this fact being immediately 
conveyed to the despotic ears, his majesty 
lost not a moment in hinting " that it were 
desirable that all presents intended for the 
palace, should pass through his own hands." 

It is not permitted to any subject of the 
realm to receive the smallest gift without 
submitting it forthwith to the negoos, who 
either appropriates it with an "Egzia isto!" 
" May the Lord reward thee !" or accords 
permission to its retention ; and conceal- 
ment is sure to be visited, on discovery, 
with the severest punishment. Birroo, the 
son of a defunct nobleman, and the espe- 
cially favorite page of the king, had been 
appointed baldoraba. or "introducer " to the 
embassy, and in this dignified capacity had 
occasion to pay almost daily visits with 
messages or commissions from the throne. 
Dilapidated matchlocks and swivels were 
to be re -stocked, musical boxes to be re- 
paired, garments to be embroidered, or state 
umbrellas to be renewed ; and every task 
had fortunately been achieved to the entire 
of the royal satisfaction. Before taking 
leave the court favorite never failed to beg 
for something, and, being a pet with all, he 
never asked in vain ; but it shortly became 
matter of public notoriety that he had been 
disgraced, and thrown into durance, upon 
being detected in the act of burying the 
dollars and other presents that he had re- 
ceived. 

A portion of the confiscated wealth which 
had led to this disaster being subsequently 
returned to the donors by the royal com- 
mand, strong intercession was instituted on 
behalf of the youth, and pardon entreated 
for the juvenile indiscretion to which his 
friends had unwittingly contributed. " Bir- 
roo has been degraded," replied his majes- 
ty, "but you must not be concerned thereat ; 
for not only did he conceal from me all that 
you had given him, but, on being detected, 
swore falsely upon my own life that he had 
received much less than proved to be the 
case. I have dismissed him for ever from 
my presence, but his punishment is light 
when compared with the enormity of his 
transgression." The delinquent was, how- 
ever, released upon a second representa- 
tion, and restored to the possession of his 
gun, which had been forfeited ; and although 



A ROYAL SWOON—DREAD OF POISON. 



133 



not reinstated in the royal confidence, he 
was subsequently appointed one of the 
adrdsh addree, or " keepers of the great 
room." 

The first visit to Machal-wans was paid 
on the occasion of the king's indisposition. 
The high priest, the chief eunuch, the pur- 
veyor-general, Wulasma Mohammad, and 
ten or twelve other of the courtiers, were 
in attendance ; but they were dismissed af- 
ter the customary compliments had passed, 
and his majesty, reclining as usual upon 
the throne, thus proceeded to detail the long 
catalogue of his ailments. 

" You may listen. I am not now so hale 
as in my younger days. Mine eyes trou- 
ble me day and night. I have pains in the 
neck. My teeth have grown long and be- 
come loose from fever, and my body has 
wasted away. Draw nigh while I recount 
the particulars of my late illness. 

" I was returning from the expedition 
against the rebel Galla. I felt suddenly 
unwell. My head grew giddy. The earth 
turned round. It became blue under my 
feet. I fell from my mule. I believed my- 
self dead. I was no longer sensible. My 
gun-men became afraid. They ran away 
to a man. The enemy made a show of at- 
tack. The army was in confusion. A 
governor rebelled. He sought to place his 
son upon the throne. The people dashed 
cold water over me. I recovered my senses. 
I was able to resume the command, and 
order was restored." 

Priest-ridden and superstitious to the last 
degree, the monarch undertakes nothing 
without first consulting the superiors of the 
church, and is deterred from change of resi- 
dence, or from projected military expedi- 
tions, by their prophecies and pretended 
dreams, which are of course modelled ac- 
cording to the bribes that have been received 
from parties interested. On two occasions 
only is he said to have acted in opposition 
to the ecclesiastical counsel. The first cost 
him eight hundred warriors, who were cut 
up by the Galla during the passage of a 
morass, and the second the severe indispo- 
sition of which he still felt the effects. 

The royal swoon, thus amusingly narra- 
ted, had been followed by consignment to 
captivity for life in the dungeons of Gon- 
cho, of the traitor who had so prematurely 
sought the elevation of his son, and who 
was the proprietor of the residency. Med- 
icines administered to the king are invaria- 
bly tasted by the physician in the presence 
of the patient, and on a phial of goulard 
lotion being now sent to the palace for ex- 
ternal application to the despot's neck, it 
was returned in consequence of its being 



labelled " poison." Of this he entertains 
the most undisguised dread, and it was not 
possible to overcome his apprehensions that 
a drop might find its way into his mouth 
during the hours of repose, and so cut 
short his reign. 

But although living in perpetual alarm 
of assassination, and never moving abroad 
without weapons concealed under his gar- 
ments, or unaccompanied by a numerous 
and trustworthy escort, his majesty's fears 
did not extend to his foreign guests, and du- 
ring many subsequent visits to Machal- 
wans, he hesitated not to trust the British of- 
fiers about his person with loaded fire-arms, 
when none of his attendants were present. 
Many were the curious discussions held 
at these confidential interviews. Portraits 
were executed by the royal command — 
architectural plans prepared — and hunting 
expeditions and wars of extermination plot- 
ted against colonies of baboons and mon- 
keys, the only quadrupeds of which the 
country can boast. Magazines were ex- 
ploded by means of detonating shells — 
seven-barrelled pistols and stick-guns for 
the first time introduced at court — and a 
liege subject of the realm was nearly shot 
dead by the royal hand, when clumsily 
making trial of an air cane, from, which 
a wax-bullet had previously been fired 
through the wicker table. 

" My son," quoth the king, " I am old, 
and have but few years more to live. I 
have seen many strange things from your 
country, but none that surpass this engine, 
which without the aid of gunpowder can 
destroy men. Sorrow were it that I should 
have died and gone down to the grave be- 
fore beholding and understanding so won- 
derful an invention. It is truly the work 
of a wise people, who employ strong med- 
icines !" 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

SPECIAL SUMMONS TO MACHAL-WANS. 

His majesty had more than once inti- 
mated his intention of holding consultation 
relative to his projected expedition on the 
termination of winter, and early one morn- 
ing an express courier arrived to desire the 
immediate attendance of his British guests. 
Blacksmiths and workers in silver were as 
usual plying their craft in the verandah, 
under the royal eye — artists were daubing 
red and yellow paint over the pages of the 
psalter, or illuminating the lives of the 
saints with white angels and sable devils 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



134 

—saddles and warlike furniture were in 
course of repair— spears were being bur- 
nished- gun-locks cleaned -and silver 
gauntlets manufactured ; but the artificers 
were all summarily dismissed, and the 
king, rising from his seat in the portico, 
beckoned his visitors to follow into the au- 
dience-hall. 

« Gaiia," "master,'' he cautiously be- ] 
C an '■ there is yet another subject upon 
which I am desirous of taking counsel, 
and wherein I need your assistance. It is 
my intention shortly to undertake an expe- 
dition to the great lake in Gurague. In it 
be many islands which contain the trea- 
sure of mv ancestors. There are jars fail- 
ed with bracelets of solid gold. There are 
forty drums made of elephant s ears, and 
manv holy arks pertaining unto ancient 
churches, besides seven hundred choice 
Ethiopic volumes, some of which have un- 
fortunately been defaced by the animals 
called ashkoko* Elephants abound on the 
borders. In the trees are found black leop- 
ards of a most ferocious nature, multiply- 
in* always among the branches, and never 
descending upon the earth ; and the waters 
of the lake, which are smooth as glass, and 
without bottom, teem with monstrous go- 
marij and with fish of brilliant colors, red, 
yellow, green, and blue, such as have nev- 
er before been seen. 

"Moreover, there are specifics against 
small-pox and other dreadful diseases. No 
resistance is to be anticipated, for the in- 
habitants, who are chiefly Christian monks, 
have often invited me. I must no longer 
delay to recover the lost wealth of my fore- 
fathers, and it is fitting that you, with the 
British officers who have come hither from 
a far country, should accompany me and 
construct boats. Hereof my people are 
ignorant, and your name as well as mine 
will therefore become great, and will live 
in the annals of this kingdom. 

" From the summit of a lofty hill near 
Aimellele,! have beheld through a telescope 
the lake and its tall trees, but the elephants 
came in numbers. I feared that my peo- 
ple would be destroyed. I ran, and they 
all ran with me. Now, what say you? 
What is your advice in this matter ? Are 
you able to build boats V' 

Models of skin-punts, gun-rafts, and a 
pontoon-train, upon the most approved de- 
sign, were prepared and submitted, with 
crews and ordnance complete, coupled with 
advice to construct these at Ankober while 
leisure served, and, never trusting to the 
weakness or non-resistance of a foe, to 

* Hymx Abyssitiicus. | Hippopotamus amphibious. 



take the field with ample means at disposal 
to meet every contingency. The king 
exDressed himself above all things pleased 
both with models and advice, which he de- 
clared to come from wise and expert sol- 
diers ; but he was still obviously undecided, 
and the fear of the wild beast and the lone 
forest at length kicked the vibrating beam. 
The castle-visions of glory mounted far 
out of reach, and the fickle ambition of the 
savage evaporated in a bluster of high- 
sounding phrase : 

" My people will weep at the carriage of 
such ponderous engines." " The prepara- 
tions must be made on the banks of the 
Hawash, or on the borders of the Lake 
Zooai, where timber grows abundantly. 
i A man of rank, one of the frontier gov- 
! ernors, who resides near Aimellele, should 
I be summoned as guide to the expedition, 
I and might then be consulted." But the 
presence of the great functionary was ever 
| wanting — no further wish escaped the lips 
' of the vacillating monarch— and, engrossed 
with the passing whim of the moment, the 
chivalrous project of the day had vanished. 
So passed the dreary winter on. The 
arrival in the kingdom of Shoa of the many 
valuable presents brought by the embassy, 
had not proven more agreeable to the 
traders from Gondar and Tigre who reside 
in Ankober, than to the narrow-mmded 
governor of Alio Amba. These men had 
[been in the wont of selling glass-ware, 
cloths, and fire-arms to the king at a very 
I considerable premium, and now did not fail 
to repeat and to improve the absurdities 
circulated by the mischievous Danakil, re- 
garding the foreign intruders. The Gypzis 
were pronounced eaters of serpents, mice, 
and other reptiles, and had come with the 
design of possessing themselves of the 
country by the aid of magic and medicine. 
Great umbrage was taken at the practice 
of toasting the wretched half-baked dough 
received, under the denomination of bread, 
from the royal stores ; and a soldier, who 
carried a metallic pitcher to the stream, 
was roundly taxed with having used 
charms to poison the water, which was 
consequently condemned as unfit for use 
until purified by the blessing of the priest. 
Predictions of the impending fate of Abys- 
sinia were derived from the fact of the 
foreigners employing instruments which 
read the stars ; and the despot was repeat- 
edly and earnestly warned to be upon his 
guard. But his majesty cut short these 
insinuations, by threatening to extract the 
tongues of three or four of the maligners, 
and paid no attention whatever to the threat 
of excommunication extended to him by 



MALICIOUS REPORTS— AYTO MELKOO. 



135 



the fanatic clergy of Aramba, who had de- 
clared the ban of the church to be the just 
punishment due for the admission into the 
empire " of red heretics, who ought care- 
fully to be shunned,, since they practiced 
witchcraft, and by burningthe king's bread, 
threatened to bring a famine upon the 
land." 

Taking their cue from the feelings of 
the people, the Shoan sorcerers gave out 
that Sahela Selassie was to be the last of 
the Ethiopian dynasty, descended from the 
house of Solomon, who should sit upon 
the throne of his forefathers, and that a 
foreign king would come by way of Alio 
Amba, to usurp the dominion. It is 
amusing to trace the progress of these 
crafty insinuations among an ignorant and 
weak-minded people. In some of the nor- 
thern provinces it was confidently asserted 
that the sultan of the Mohammadans had 
already conquered Shoa, and that all the 
surrounding Moslem potentates were about 
to unite with him in a war of extermination 
against the Christians ; while in others it 
was believed that an alaka, or chief of 
the Gypts from Grand Cairo, had contrived 
to-smuggle himself into the capital, carry- 
ing his sovereign in a box, and that after 
consulting the heavenly bodies until a fa- 
vorable horoscope was presented, he stamp- 
e li nis foot upon the ground, which opened, 
and ten thousand red soldiers, with beards 
flown^ to their girdles, springing forth out 
of the cJnsm, placed the aforesaid monarch 
upon the ti«.o ne . « Now," said the magi- 
cians, 'will X^eodorus arise, according to 
the tradition that v., will come in the latter 
days of Ethiopia, ana create a kingdom of 
peace. to 

Theodorus was one oi the emperors 
who reigned during the fifcee^ cen turv 
and was canonized. It is recoi4 ec j that 
during the observance of his festive t he 
queen-dowager had prepared a great entt*. 
tainment, and the guests being all assem- 
bled, the heavens rained down a shower 
of fishes ready roasted. In the Ethiopic 
liturgy, the miracle is thus commemorated : 
" Peace be upon thee, kinsr of the Agaazi 
nation, Theodorus, Son of the Lion ; thy 
memory shall this day be celebrated with 
the slaughter of oxen and sheep, with 
which alone Zion Mogass, thy mother, 
kept it not, for the clouds also dropped 
fishes." It is confidently believed that 
the saint will rise again from the dead, and 
reign a thousand years, during which 

PT* n f^ er war ' famine > nor discord, is 
to disturb the happiness of Abyssinia. 



CHAPTER L. 

TERMINATION OF WINTER. 



In due process of time, spite of the de- 
nunciations of the fanatic priesthood, the 
silver and beef of the foreigners attracted 
the denizens of the adjacent villages, and 
a respectable retinue was acquired, such as 
an Abyssinian deems indispensable on all 
excursions abroad. A house better ade- 
quate to the wants of the party had been 
purchased, and the bargain duly concluded 
according to the custom of the country by 
an oath on the life of the despot ; but this 
was shortly annulled through the officious 
interference of the governor of the town ; 
and it was not until the eleventh hour, 
when the rain had begun to abate, that the 
master of the horse was prevailed upon to 
rent his newly-erected domicile. A fat ox 
having been slaughtered to drive out the 
devil, was handed over to the domestics, 
and the tenants, wading through the blood 
which flowed over the threshold, duly en- 
tered upon the premises, and quaffing" with 
the burly landlord several horns of old hy- 
dromel for good luck, the Union Jack float- 
ed over the new Residency. u Have you 
a better house than this in your country ?" 
he inquired : "I suspect not." 

Ayto Melkoo, the baldaras, or king's 
master of the horse, has under his charge 
the royal stud, saddles, and accoutrements, 
as also the workers in leather — is equery 
in waiting, and conservator of pastures 
and meadows pertaining to the crown. 
He is moreover the greatest gourmand in 
the kingdom ; and condescending to honor 
the denounced Christians with his com- 
pany at the house-warming, did ample jus- 
tice to the novel viands that were placed 
before him. He even submitted to the in- 
novation of a silver fork, and politely par- 
took of salad, notwithstanding his firm 
conviction that the undressed vegetable 
Would cause a return of ailments to which 
he kad been a martyr in youth. The cir- 
culation of water & r the ablution of fin- 
gers caused no little diversion on the re- 
moval of the cloth ; but the marasquino 
which followed, was unhesitatingly pro- 
nounced to be a nectar fit for princes alone. 
" Were but the negoos aware with what 
good things the 'board of you English is 
spread," he exclaimed, smacking his lips 
after the last glass, "his majesty would 
come and dine with you as often as you 
chose to invite him." 

" But let me give you a lesson in polite- 
ness," added the old man, when, in reply 
to his abrupt intimation of intended depar- 



136 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ture, he was wished a " safe entrance to 
his house," in accordance with Abyssinian 
etiquette — " You should have said 'stay.' " 
" Such is not the fashion of the countries 
across the water," was the reply : " every 
man is permitted to withdraw as he lists, 
and be happy in his own way." " Ay, ay," 
returned the guest ; " but then if you had 
pressed me to tarry, I would at all events 
have stopped with you until the moon rose. 
Do you see ?" 

The fast of the Assumption having 
meanwhile terminated, the king announced 
his intention of removing to Angollala, his 
favorite place of residence ; and thither, 
in defiance of excessively heavy rain, he 
set out on the day appointed by the house- 
hold priests. "My children," said his 
majesty, at parting, " ye have travelled far 
on my account, and have no kinsman sa- 
ving myself. My people are bad people, 
and I am sorry thereat. They bring me 
daily all manner of reports, regarding 
yourselves and your evil intentions. The 
rumors have doubtless reached your ears ; 
but ye must not suppose that Sahela Se- 
lassie believes one of them. Ye are my 
friends, and I will deal with you accord- 
ingly. I will that ye come shortly to De- 
bra Berhan, and witness the great annual 
review at the feast of Maskal. Ayto 
Wolda Hana shall conduct you." 

But the important functionary thus se- 
lected, was of all others arrayed in the 
most open hostility ; and, unlike the majority 
of his avaricious colleagues, his enmity had 
been proof against overtures and advances. 
" I am a lone man," he invariably replied, 
" and have neither wife nor child. Gray 
hairs have come out on me. I am the son 
of sixty years. I want nothing in this 
world but the favor of the king," To 
judge from appearances, the pinnacle of 
his loyal ambition had already been attain- 
ed. Governor of Ank&ber, and president 
of the mddi belt, or kitchen, wherein ar* - 
prepared hydromel, pepper-soup, and s"ur 
beer — comptroller of all the royal prv«ers, 
and of the household slaves, who are the 
hewers of wood and the carriers of water, 
who grind, bake, express oil, and manufac- 
ture candles — receiver-general into the im- 
perial magazines of all tribute in cotton, 
grain, thread, sheep, and poultry — and 
charged with the superintendence, the 
erection, and the repair, of all public build- 
ings throughout the realm, as well as with 
the arrangement of the interior economy 
of the capital — Ayto Wolda Hana can 
have little left to desire ; and so conscien- 
tiously does he acquit himself of these 
manifold onerous duties, that it is affirmed 



his royal master could scarcely exist with- 
out him. 

A visible diminution in the male popu- 
lation of Ankober, follows the departure of 
the monarch to either of his more distant 
places of residence. During his absence 
the administration of affairs devolves chiefly 
upon Ayto Kidana Wold, who may be 
termed the viceroy. In charge of the se- 
cret police and magisterial department, he 
adjusts all private differences, watches 
over the public safety, and besides minis- 
tering daily to the wants of all consigned 
to him, gives annually three great enter- 
tainments at the expense of the crown. 
He has been honored with the hand of 
Woizoro Askuala Work, sister to the 
queen-dowager, and the receipt of the 
promised invitation to Debra Berhan, re- 
quiring an intimation of intended depar- 
ture, afforded an opportunity, which had 
long been sought, of making the acquaint- 
ance of this stately dame. Seated in the 
utmost Abyssinian pomp, and surrounded 
by a goodly train of slaves, pages, and 
handmaidens, she received the visitors 
with the greatest affability ; and in the 
temporary absence of her lord, expressed 
the highest gratification at the attention 
paid, although unable to accept the pres- 
ents offered, from an apprehension of the 
royal displeasure. 

But conversation during a morning" call 
is here little more than a string of the 
most earnest and pathetic inq^ries res- 
pecting one's health, and +^at of one's 
wife, relatives, and child*^ n - Even two 
old crones who are oh lousl y tottering on 
the very brink of t^ grave, and who are 
afflicted with e^ rv P ain and with every 
sorrow entail D Y the fall of our first 
parents, v* er me et in the street without 
Indulg-^g m a string of good wishes which 
arP .eiterated so long as their breath will 
permit. " How are you ? How do ye do ? 
How have you passed your time ? Are 
you well ? Are you very well 1 Are you 
quite well ? Are you perfectly well 1 
Are you not well ? — are questions which 
serve as the prelude to a thousand other 
interrogatories ; and at each response the 
Deity must be invoked as to the unadul- 
terated happiness and perfect felicity that 
has been unremittingly experienced since 
the last meeting. 

Should the encounter take place twen- 
ty or even a hundred times during one and 
the same day, a repetition of the ceremony 
is enforced, and for each progressive stage 
of morning, noon, evening, and night, 
there exists a distinct set of phrases, 
which, from the never-ending repetition, 



THE DEVIL'S MILL— THE KEYS OF THE NILE. 



137 



are grating and wearisome. Passengers 
stand in the lane, denude their shoulders, 
and roar out salutations intended for the 
inmates of huts some hundred yards from 
the hedge. The slumberer is started from 
sleep by the dinning " How do ye do ?" 
from some gentleman passing ere the day 
has dawned to his country residence ; and 
from morning until even-tide, the ears are 
assailed by a most harassing and afflicting 
tissue of polite inquiries from every indi- 
vidual of whatever rank, who may think 
proper to pass himself off as an acquaint- 
ance. 



'CHAPTER LI. 

DEBRA BERHAN, THE HILL OF GLORY. 

In Shoa the preliminaries of a journey 
are replete with noise, inconvenience, and 
confusion. Friends come to " see you off," 
an indispensable piece of etiquette, and the 
lounging townspeople, who have at no 
time much business of their own, flock to 
assist the traveller, by filling the court- 
yard, choking the doorway, and amusing 
themselves by canvassing the property 
packed. Should rain be falling, which is 
too frequently the case, the rabble take 
shelter inside the house, subject every ar- 
ticle within their reach to the pollution of 
greasy paws, leave the carpet an inch thick 
in mire, and unless by dint of shoving and 
elbowing, debar all egress to the lawful 
proprietor. 

It was in the midst of attentions such 
as these on the part of the idlers of Anko- 
ber, that the embassy on a raw, cold, foggy 
morning in September — the last of the 
Ethiopic year — took the road to Debra Ber- 
han. The sun was already high when the 
sure-footed mules were mounted, and as 
the retiring mist scudded over the face of 
the mountains, many were the bold beau- 
ties revealed. Cascades tumbled down 
the stupendous range on the one hand, 
amid snug houses and tufted knolls, and 
on the other, at the foot of perpendicular 
crags thundered the river Airara. On its 
bank stands the only piece of machinery 
in the kingdom — a rude watermill con- 
structed by an Albanian visitor ; but the 
intolerant and ignorant priesthood pronoun- 
cing the revolution of the wheel to be the 
work of devils and genii, its use was in- 
terdicted after three days, and it has since 
remained silent. 

Beyond the ford of the foaming torrent 
the road becomes extremely rough, steep, 
and difficult ; in many parts rising almost 
10 



perpendicularly, while every traverse is ac- 
clivitous and stony. The first traveller 
in all the vigor of pristine strength, has 
been unable to breast the mountain side 
outright ; and, untouched by the hand of 
the pioneer, the zigzag route of the dis- 
coverer has been preserved in all its orig- 
inal purity. The craggy rock remains as 
in ancient days, and the narrow and slip- 
pery channel must be still threaded with 
the same risk as when the first bold foot 
was planted on the serrated ridge ; while 
the torrent of centuries has indented the 
furrow yet deeper, and added the impedi- 
ment of slimy residuum. 

The range whereof the Chaka forms a 
part, divides the streams that flow into the 
Nile, from those which are tributary to 
the Hawash ; and the ascent above Anko- 
ber being not less than two thousand feet, 
the difference in temperature on the sum- 
mit was fully perceptible. Half an hour 
was occupied in the scramble to a crum- 
bling basaltic pillar styled " Koom dingai" 
"the standing stone," which very aptly 
transfers its name to this most indifferent 
pass to the new capital of Shoa. Mamrat 
still towered overhead full three or four 
thousand feet, making its total height above 
the level of the sea at least thirteen thou- 
sand ; yet is snow a stranger to its cloud- 
capped summit, and indeed to the language 
of all Amhara, south of the cold mountains 
of Simien. 

It is from June to September, while the 
sun is vertical in Ethiopia, that old father 
Nil us carries plenty into " the land of mar- 
vels" — and rolling on to its mouths in soli- 
tary grandeur, without receiving a single 
tributary in its long course of thirteen 
hundred and fifty nautical miles below the 
junction of the Tacazze, it may fairly be 
stated that Abyssinia holds in her Chris- 
tian hands the inexhaustible riches of 
Egypt. Hatze Tekla Haimanot the Great, 
had therefore reason on his side, when in 
the beginning of the twelfth century he 
wrote under the style of " son of the king 
of the church of ^Ethiop to the pacha and 
the lords commanders of the militia at 
Grand Cairo, desiring attention to the fact 
that in himself, for the time being, was 
vested power to render the Nile an instru- 
ment of vengeance for overt acts of hos- 
tility — the Almighty having given into his 
hands, its fountains, its passage, and its 
increase ; and thus intrusted him with 
power to make the river work good or 
evil." 

Among the numberless fictions recorded 
of this emperor, it is said, that when he 
was about to relinquish the cares of gov- 



138 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ernment in order to retire to a cloister, he 
divided his countless wealth with his feet 
into two parts, the one designed as an of- 
fering to the church, the other to be dis- 
tributed in alms among the poor : and both 
heaps, although mountain high, were, on 
being weighed, found exactly equal. La- 
libela, one of his successors, is believed to 
have attempted the diversion to the Indian 
Ocean and the Lake Zooai, of all those 
principal tributaries to the Nile which take 
their source in the highest table land. 
The measure was in resentment for the 
persecutions exercised toward the Chris- 
tians in Egypt after the Saracen conquest, 
and the monarch was only diverted from 
his gigantic project by the earnest remon- 
strance of the monks, who strongly urged 
the impolicy of fertilizing the arid Moslem 
countries that intervene betwixt the moun- 
tains and the sea. 

On the summit of the Chaka commences 
an uninterrupted terrace, stretching hun- 
dreds of miles to the southward, through 
the fair territories of the Galla. Glimpses 
of blue sky, of a brightness unseen for 
months, now gave happy presage of com- 
ing fine weather, and a cold bracing breeze 
from the eastward announced the termina- 
tion of the protracted season of rain. The 
country had assumed the uninteresting 
character inseparable from elevated downs 
— rich swampy meadows, knee-deep in 
mire, clothed with camomile, clover, and 
trefoil, and covered with oxen, horses, and 
sheep, being intersected by gentle undula- 
tions of moor land, with occasional ovi- 
form hills. Bare-banked rills, streaming 
through the lower tracts, succeed each 
other in quick succession, and drain the 
table-land to the sources of the Bereza ; 
while the great extent of ground under 
cultivation, waving crops of wheat, beans, 
and barley, with independent farm-houses 
scattered over the face of the landscape, 
proclaim a government which cannot be 
of a very bad description, and regions long 
exempt from the presence of inimical 
power. 

Across the Toro Mesk, the principal 
streamlet that intersects the road, and the 
sources of which are visible at a great dis- 
tance to the northeast, is a rude pile of 
stones bearing the dignified appellation of 
"the King's Bridge." Johannes, the Ar- 
menian architect, received the hand of a 
high-born dame in reward of his skill, and 
by none save the despotic foot is the bar- 
red entrance ever passed. Two other 
bridges, or rather drains, have since been 
constructed upon the same primitive prin- 
ciple over nameless but rapid rivulets, and 



if not very durable, serve greatly to facili- 
tate the royal progress at perids when the 
country is inundated. 

During the reign of the sire and grand- 
sire of the present monarch, the entire 
tract between Ankcber and Debra Berhan 
was in the hands of the heathen Galla ; 
and Tenna Kaloo, the last daring chieftain 
who disputed its possession, has left in the 
minds of the present generation the recol- 
lection of his prowess in arms, as evinced 
to their fathers, numbers of whom fell in 
the strife. Not a tree, nor even a shrub 
higher than the Abyssinian thistle, is to 
be seen, save here and there a solitary 
" cosso" whose venerable boughs, the wit- 
nesses of idolatrous rites, mark the ancient 
site of villages now gone to decay. Flour- 
ishing Christian hamlets have risen in their 
stead ; yet the visible population is small, 
and the long naked sweeping plains, silent 
and lonesome, present a stern and melan- 
choly appearance, which the absence of 
groves and hedges and singing birds tends 
materially to heighten* The vulture and 
the eagle are alone seen wheeling above 
the green cliffs, or a solitary buzzard soar- 
ing in quest of his prey over the great 
sheets of cultivation. Shepherds, wearing 
high conical hempen caps, lay ensconced, 
with their large shaggy dogs, under the 
shelter of knolls and caves ; and in some 
few of the fields, where last year's crops 
were yet unhoused, or the land remained 
untilled, the peasantry pursued their indus- 
trious occupation. 

At length the monotonous view opened 
over a wide plateau sloping gently to the 
west. The blue serrated peaks of Sallala 
Moogher, beyond which flows the infant 
Nile, loomed faintly in the distance, and 
the intervening country, still destitute of 
wood, was traversed by broad, broken, pre- 
cipitous ravines. On a hill to the north- 
ward is visible the extensive market-place 
of Bool Worki, " the cave of gold," a great 
mart for horses, mules, and woollen cloths, 
which, with grain, asses, and horned cattle, 
are brought every Saturday by the adja- 
cent Galla tribes, and, when sold, pay a 
heavy duty to the crown. To account for 
the name of the place, there is a tradition 
extant, that in days of yore, many holy 
arks, with vast quantities of the purest 
gold, were deposited by the emperors of 
Ethiopia in a certain deep cave, having a 
bottomless lake interposed to save them 
from the grasp of the avaricious. Its 
waters form the abode of a legion of evil 
spirits, whose alaka gratuitously exhibited 
himself one market-day, mounted upon an 
ambling mule loaded with massive golden 



ARRIVAL AT DEBRA BERHAN. 



139 



trappings, and attended by a black cat, 
wearing about its neck a bell of the same 
costly metal — a sight quite sufficient to 
deter intrusion on the part of the curious. 

A cluster of white-roofed houses, strag- 
gling beyond the walled palace and the 
church of the Holy Trinity — long indis- 
tinctly visible — now rose rapidly to view ; 
and a small eminence having been as- 
cended, the goal was presently attained. 
As the party passed the royal lodge, a 
page, mounted on one of the king's horses, 
rode forth to reconnoitre, and, taking a 
hasty glance, galloped oif to make his 
report. The customary announcement 
through an aliero, who has always access 
to the palace, elicited a pair of monstrous 
Galla rams, which were thrust into ob- 
servation while the message which fol- 
lows — one strictly in accordance with 
Abyssinian etiquette — was delivered with 
shoulders bare by him to whom it had 
been confided : " Are you well 3 Are 
you well 1 Are you well 1 Have you 
been quite well since our last interview ] 
Are you all well ? Have my children had 
a good journey ? Have they entered in 
safety ? My love amounts to heaven and 
earth ; therefore the king said, they might 
eat these sheep." 

Woollen awnings wrought of goat's 
hair, and resembling the black tents of 
Kedar, had meanwhile been erected on 
the greensward, and arrival therein was 
instantly followed by bread in wicker 
baskets, old hydromel in colored decanters, 
and compliments in profusion from the 
queen. Many of the courtiers paid visits 
in the evening, too evidently fresh from 
the royal banquet, which is daily spread 
in the great hall, and from which few ever 
rise in a state of sobriety — their amount 
of friendship professed, and the modicum 
of flattery bestowed, being in the exact 
ratio of the potations swallowed during 
the revel. Glimmering lights soon illu- 
mined the straggling hamlet — dancing and 
singing occupied both sexes of the inhab- 
itants — and with almost as much pomp 
and ceremony as in more civilized lands, 
the departed year was consigned to its 
last long resting-place in the relentless 
tomb of Time. 



CHAPTER LII. 

THE ROYAL SLAVE DEPOT. 

No royal residence can be conceived 
more desolate and less princely than the 
palace at Debra Berhan, " the Hill of Glo- 
10* 



ry." Crumbling walls of loose unce- 
mented stone, patched in their various 
breaches and dilapidations by splintered 
palisades, surround a vast assemblage of 
wattle and dab edifices, of various shapes 
and dimensions, which are clumped to- 
gether in separate court-yards, without 
any regard to appearance. Six rude gate- 
ways on the southern side conduct through 
as many miry inclosures, lined with troops, 
and crowded with herds, flocks, and appli- 
cants for justice. A paddock, covered 
with bright green turf, extends in front of 
the chamber of audience. Hoary junipers 
stretch their moss-grown branches fantas- 
tically over the lawn, and at the farther 
extremity of the inclosure rise the moul- 
dering remains of the palace of Zara Ya- 
coob. 

This monarch, who was the founder of 
Debra Berhan, is reputed to have been 
endowed with the wisdom of Solomon, his 
great ancestor ; and the vestiges that re- 
main of his abode, certainly exhibit an 
order of architecture far superior to that 
of the present degenerate day. It has 
been composed of large blocks of hewn 
though unsculptured stone ; but, in com- 
mon with every other boasted edifice 
erected in the height of Ethiopic splendor, 
it perished during the reign of Nebla 
Dengel, by the hand of the destroyer 
Graan. Hatze Zara Yacoob first attached 
capital punishment to the continuance 
of idolatry. He instituted an inquisition, 
and persecuted with death all who paid 
adoration to the cow and serpent. Among 
others who underwent execution, were 
two of his sons-in-law; and he finally 
issued a proclamation, confiscating the 
lands of all who should thenceforth neg- 
lect to carry on the right arm an amulet 
inscribed with the words, "I have re- 
nounced the Devil and his works for 
Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Tradition asserts that " the Hill of Glo- 
ry," now barren of trees, was in days of 
yore thickly covered with forest, through 
which ran a single path. In the begin- 
ning of the fifteenth century the founder, 
who was also styled Constantine, fled into 
its depths before an invasion of the Ada'i- 
el, and becoming bewildered in the intri- 
cacies, hurried hither and thither, exclaim- 
ing in his dilemma, " Ber eza, her eza ?" 
" Where is the road ?" Suddenly there 
shone forth over the eminence a great 
halo of light from heaven, which served 
him as a beacon by which to escape out 
of the labyrinth. In some of the adja- 
cent swamps are to be seen the ancient 
remains of decomposed timber, and a few 



140 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



venerable junipers still survive within the 
palace inclosure ; but beyond these monu- 
ments of antiquity the truth of the legend 
rests solely on the name of the river Be- 
reza, a tortuous stream winding round the 
foot of the hill, and forming one of the 
principal sources of the Blue Nile. 

Tegulet, " the city of the wolves," the 
capital of all Abyssinia in her brighter days, 
and a spot untrodden by European foot 
since the visit of Father Alvarez, forms a 
conspicuous feature in the view presented 
from the village. Occupying a command- 
ing promontory, round which flows the 
river Salacha, it is environed by singular 
bluffs ; and one natural fissure, visible from 
a great distance, affords the only practica- 
ble ascent to the impregnable fortress, upon 
which the Galla, in the meridian of their 
power, were unable to make the slightest 
impression during reiterated attempts to 
carry it by storm. The alaka of Tegulet 
is superior also of the celebrated shrine of 
Sena Markos, a saint of the days of Tekla 
Haimanot. The monastery, named after 
its founder, occupies a similar inaccessible 
fastness, overlooking a part of the valley 
of the Nile, and the whole of the north and 
west of Shoa, as far as the chain of lofty 
mountains which here form the bulwark of 
the Christian kingdom. 

The view from the village of Etteghe, 
near Tegulet, is so extensive that it has 
given rise to a proverb, " From Etteghe is 
the Echegue or Grand Prior of the monks 
to be seen at Gondar." Forty-four rivulets, 
corresponding in number with the churches 
of that city, are said to pay tribute through 
this district to the Adabai, which sends its 
waters down the Jumma to the Nile ; their 
short course of little more than one hun- 
dred and fifty miles, involving so rapid a 
declination to the westward, that nearly all 
have cataracts in some part, and are con- 
sequently destitute of finny inhabitants. 
The entire environs of Tegulet are inter- 
sected by the beds of rapid torrents, hav- 
ing high precipitous banks, which afford 
few accessible roads, whether to man or 
beast — a fact to which this portion of Shoa 
may be concluded to have owed its secu- 
rity during the inpourings of heathen and 
Mohammadan hordes. Tegulet- wat, " the 
devouring depths," a fathomless abyss 
yawning on the banks of one of these 
streams, and described as the habitation of 
demons, is believed by the superstitious to 
communicate with the " great water." It 
proved the grave of numerous Christian 
warriors, who during the bloody contest 
with the Adaiel plunged unexpectedly into 
its dark bosom, and were heard of no more. 



It was at the close of the fifteenth cen- 
tury that Mafoodi, the bigoted king of Hur- 
rur, unfurling the green banner of the 
Prophet, commenced those devastating in- 
roads upon the frontiers of Shoa, which 
finally led to the dismemberment of the 
Ethiopic empire, and proved the greatest 
calamity that has befallen the country. 
Under a vow that he would annually spend 
the forty days of Lent among the Abys- 
sinian infidels, he overran Efat and Fatigar 
when the people, weakened by rigorous 
fasting, were less capable of bearing arms 
— burned churches and monasteries, slew 
without mercy every male who fell in his 
way, and driving off the women and chil- 
dren, sold some into foreign slavery, and 
presented others to the sheriffe of Mecca. 
Alexander, the then reigning emperor, was 
assassinated at Tegulet by Za Selassie, 
commander-in-chief of the royal body- 
guard, who had been bought over by Ma- 
foodi. • The eyeballs of the regicide were 
seared with a rsd-hot iron ; his hands and 
feet were chopped off, and he was stoned 
to death amid the curses and execrations 
of the populace, after he had been paraded 
on an ass, in this mutilated condition, 
throughout Shoa and Amhara. 

Debra Berhan is one of the principal de- 
pots for the numerous royal slaves, the pos- 
session of whom casts the foulest blot on 
the character of the Christian monarch. 
A strange clatter, and a Babel-like mix- 
ture of tongues, greets the ear of the visi- 
tor, and the features of many races, and of 
many nations, are distinctly visible among 
the crowd that throngs the gate, although 
all are alike enveloped in the disguising 
costume of Abyssinia. 

The huge black Shankela, with blubbeT 
lip and bloodshot eye, is resting for a mo- 
ment against the broken wall, and stretch- 
ing a brawny limb which might have sup- 
ported the bully Hercules himself. Grin- 
ning from ear to ear as his burly neighbor 
sports some savage joke in licence unre- 
strained, he seizes with a three-horse power 
his bundle of split wood, which two Am- 
hara could with difficulty raise, and poising 
it like a feather upon his woolly head, 
walks away in all the vigor of a young 
giant 

With his own approving eye the mon- 
arch has selected this specimen from a lot of 
powerful negroes captured beyond the Nile, 
and fifteen silver crowns must not be light- 
ly squandered, even by the great sovereign 
of Southern Abyssinia. Rations are well 
supplied to support the sinewy form, and 
unless on a cold raw day, when the soak- 
ing rain has penetrated every thread of his 



BONDSWOMEN— THE QUEEN'S HANDMAIDEN. 



141 



black blanket* and the shivering frame 
brings vividly to mind the difference of cli- 
mate, the enslaved pagan in his present 
condition, as hewer in the royal forests, 
enjoys himself fully as well as if ranging in 
savage liberty over his own free country 
of the sun. 

Not so the scowling Galla who follows 
in his rear. The spirit of roving inde- 
pendence is still unsubdued in his fiery eye, 
and the slender figure and the bent leg 
proclaim the wild rider of the grassy plain. 
Heavy and heartbroken, he plods along 
under a burthen to which his strength is 
quite inadequate; and the groan escapes 
from his lips, as the bitter thoughts enter 
iiis soul of the disgraceful lash of the task- 
master that perhaps awaits his return, and 
he remembers the lost wife and little ones 
whom he has for ever left on the distant 
savannas of the Hawash. 

Issuing from the gateway under the au- 
thority of a bloated eunuch, a numerous 
flock of brown damsels take their way to 
the river. Heavy earthen jars are slung 
over their slender backs, and the light forms 
of the unfortunates are little concealed by 
their torn and scanty attire. These are 
newly purchased Christians from the last 
Gurague caravan, and the language of the 
Amhara is still strange to their ear. Gar- 
lands of the yellow buttercup deck the 
plaited raven locks of each captive maid, 
and a plaintive song is chanted in soft mel- 
low notes to beguile the hours of toil. But 
the lines of slavery have already found place 
among their youthful features, which pos- 
sess beauty unknown to those of their op- 
pressors. The low chorus swelling mourn- 
ful and piteous from the band, has recalled 
thoughts of home and liberty to the joyless 
breast, and the sad tear is brushed from the 
long dark eye-lash at the recollection of 
happier hours spent in their own sweet land 
of spices. 

Following close behind, comes a group 
of favored dames of a certain age, from 
whose minds time has effaced all remem- 
brance of country and of kindred. Exalted 
to the post of mistresses of the royal brew- 
ery, and decked out like the first ladies of 
the land, in flowing garments resplendent 
with crimson stripes, they have little reason 
to wish for a change of condition. Bars 
and studs of solid silver load their perfo- 
rated ears, and ponderous pewter bangles 
encircle each wrist and ankle. Their wigs, 
arranged according to the most becoming 
fashion in minute rows of tiny curls, glis- 
ten under a sheen of butter, and their fat 
cheeks, plastered with grease and red pig- 



ment, are calculated to strike respect into 
the heart of the most indifferent beholder. 
The unceasing clack and clatter tell the 
tale of the wonted freedom of female tongue, 
but the small jar with the green branch 
protruding from the narrow neck, is strap- 
ped over the breast with the thong of sla- 
very ; and the attending eunuch, with his 
long thin wand — an emblem of his own 
withered person — proclaims the fact that 
the ladies cannot roam at pleasure over the 
verdant raead, but must restrict themselves 
in the beaten path according to the cracked 
voice of their driver. 

Seated upon a gayly caparisoned mule, 
amid the jingling of bells and brass orna- 
ments, the general of the gun-men proceeds 
in state across the green parade. He is 
attired in the richest garments that the land 
can produce. A glaring cloth of red silk 
is wound about his brow, a silver sword 
decorates his right side, and fifty robed fol- 
lowers attend his every behest. But he too 
is a slave, as was his father before him, and 
as his son will be after him. All the bones 
and sinews of his attendants are the pur- 
chased property of the monarch, and it is 
only by the imperial will and pleasure, 
which may be changed to-morrow, that he 
is now ambling in chintz and satin to dine 
at the royal board, instead of holding place 
in the foremost group, with a black blanket 
over his shoulder, and a load of wood upon 
his head for fuel in the royal kitchen. 

Here comes a demure damsel from the 
harem, disfigured by all the foul garments 
and native filth which delight the inhabit- 
ant of Shoa. It is Wuletta Georgis, one of 
her majesty's confidential slaves, and she 
is revolving in her mind, how, in executing 
her mistress's commission, she can contrive 
to promote her own interests. Born and 
bred in the palace, the Abigail is ordinarily 
treated with kindness, unless the fracture 
of a little decanter, or the unbidden attack 
upon some savory dish, involve a little 
wholesome correction. Unlike the philo- 
sophical maid in Rasselas, who had broken 
the porcelain cup, she needs pecuniary aid, 
and thus is her request sobbed out : " Only 
one dollar to replace the queen's looking- 
glass, and may God reward you !" But 
the sob is evidently assumed for the occa- 
sion, and a sly glance may be detected in 
the corner of her cunning eye, to observe 
the effect of her false appeal. The full 
price of the fractured mirror has already 
been received from three several individ- 
uals, and her mistress will assuredly confis- 
cate the profits ; but the tenure of property 
during even one short half hour, possesses 
charms irresistible, and the poor girl falls 



142 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



prostrate on the ground, as the silver is 
dropped into her unwashed fingers. 

A last group is struggling through the 
gateway. The aged and the infirm, who 
can still perform a light task, have just re- 
ceived their daily dole from the royal store- 
house at the niggard hand of the pampered 
steward. The vigor of their youth has been 
expended in the service of the despot, and 
now in the evening of life, the original 
scanty pittance is yet further reduced. A 
wistful glance is cast upon the handful of 
raw barley, which must content them until 
the sun has performed another weary revo- 
lution. Hunger and destitution are pain- 
fully portrayed in the deep furrows of each 
withered face, and the shrunken limb tot- 
ters as the keen wind whistles cold through 
the wet folds of the tattered goat-skin gir- 
dle which reaches barely to the knee. No 
fostering hand awaits their return to the 
cheerless hut, to minister in kindness to the 
necessities of age ; and the last closing 
scene will drop a welcome curtain of repose 
over sinews ground by indigence and toil, 
during half a century of hopeless bondage. 



^CHAPTER LIII. 

NEW YEAR'S DAY. 

New Year's Day, which fell on the 10th 
of September, was, according to the Abys- 
sinian calendar, the eighteen hundred and 
thirty-fourth since the nativity of Christ, 
and it was celebrated with much rejoicing 
and festivity. Betimes in the morning 
came a summons to the presence of the 
negoos, who, seated in the portico of the 
audience chamber, was enjoying the genial 
warmth of the rising sun. The interior of 
the hall was strewed with newly-plucked 
rushes; and under a large iron chafing 
dish, with a cheerful wood fire, basked a 
whole host of sleek cats in couples — a 
portion of the dower received with the fair 
daughter of the Galla queen of Moolofa- 
lada. 

The king was particularly affable, and 
in the highest spirits. His hand having 
been extended to each in turn, with the 
usual inquiries relative to " safe entrance," 
the congratulations of the season were of- 
fered to his majesty according to the cus- 
tomary form : " As the departed year of 
St. Matthew has closed happily upon your 
auspicious reign, so may the coming year 
of St. Mark ! May God prolong your days 
and continue the throne in the line of your 
ancestors, unto your children's children, 



to the end of time ! May He extend the 
boundaries of your dominions, and cause 
your spear to prevail over the lance of the 
enemy ! May He endow you with wisdom 
to judge your subjects aright, and move 
your heart unto clemency ; and may He 
cause high and low alike to understand 
and to appreciate the equitable sway of the 
father, whom Heaven has appointed to rule 
over them !" 

Elaborate models of a domed palace, 
completely furnished, and an English sad- 
dle and bridle, were next presented, and 
received with every manifestation of de- 
light, coupled with a prayer from the royal 
lips, that " God might glorify the donors." 
A long and minute scrutiny led to an in- 
finity of questions, not easily answered, as 
to how the shield was to be slung to the 
pommel, and why the entire foot, instead 
of the great toe only, should be inserted in 
the stirrup ? " The sun in different coun- 
tries shines with more or less brilliancy," 
exclaimed his majesty, with truly royal 
eloquence, as he concluded the examina- 
tion — " the birds and the beasts are differ- 
ent, and so are the plants. I am fond of 
new inventions, if it be only to look at 
them, and although they should prove on 
trial to be inferior to old ones." 

Abd el Yonag, the chief of the Hurrur 
slave-merchants, was seated, rosary in 
hand, during this conversation ; and in his 
weather-beaten countenance were display- 
ed all the cunning lineaments of the petty 
retailer in small wares, curiously con- 
trasted with the sagacity of the extensive 
dealer in politics, who had succeeded in 
obtaining an accurate measure of the mon- 
arch's foot. The knave, too, protested to 
have seen the world, and gave out that 
with his own gray eyes had he beheld the 
glories of Britain's eastern possessions. 

To support his widely circulated char- 
acter for universal knowledge, the Moslem 
miscreant now seized between his bony 
fingers two pieces of superbly sprigged 
muslin, fresh from the looms of Manches- 
ter, which had been presented for Queen 
Besabesh, and throwing them contemptu- 
ously toward the corner of the throne, 
muttered betwixt his lips the word " Bom- 
bay." 

" What's that — what do you say!" cried 
the king, in his usual abrupt manner. 

" May it please your majesty," returned 
the turbaned traveller, to the amusement 
of the servants of the illustrious presidency 
assembled, " 't is the name of this cloth- 
it is called Bombay." 

But an opportunity presently occurred 
of laughing at the beard of the irreverent 



THE TOURNAMENT— THE WOUNDED HERO. 



143 



peddler, nor was it suffered to pass un- 
heeded. The despot exhibited a silver 
sword scabbard, which had been curiously 
enamelled to represent one of the scaly 
inhabitants of the deep; and it was ac- 
knowledged, nemine contradicente, that the 
artist had succeeded in producing a highly 
creditable resemblance to a fish. " A fish," 
quoth the man of Hurrur, " what is that]" 
Even the monarch smiled, when the ex- 
planation was rendered. " Fishes live in 
the great sea between Abyssinia and Bom- 
bay ; and he whose eyes have not suffered 
under Oubie's searing irons, might behold 
numbers of them every day of the voyage." 
" Istigh-far-allah" " Heaven defend me," 
growled the discomfited Wurj, as he slunk 
into a corner — " 'Tis passing strange that. 
Abd el Yonag should have never seen the 
wild beast of the water." 

Attended by the dwarf father confessor, 
and holding deep consultation with several 
of the household priests, the king presently 
led the way through the secret door on the 
north-eastern side of the palace inclosure. 
Two aftabgivs of crimson velvet, surmount- 
ed by silver globes and crosses — his never- 
failing attendants on all occasions of state 
— were supported by sturdy slaves, and 
twelve richly caparisoned steeds, repre- 
senting the months of the year, were led 
by the royal grooms. A numerous and 
motley retinue of dismounted cavaliers fol- 
lowed ; and on reaching the meadow, the 
brows both of monarch and subject were 
bound by the monks with green fillets of a 
wiry grass, styled " enkotatach" whence 
the festival takes its appellation. 

Unlike the rugged mountains of Anko- 
ber, which can alone be traversed by the 
sure-footed mule, the country around De- 
bra Berhan is of a strictly equestrian na- 
ture ; and the bright azure of the sky, 
mottled by fleecy clouds., the fresh verdure 
of the soft turf, and the elasticity of the 
pure air, all lent their aid to the coming 
tournament. Armed with a slender staff, 
the king mounted his charger, and bound- 
ing over the greensward, opened the sports 
of the day. Groups of wild savages were 
instantly to be seen scouring in every di- 
rection, engaged in the gombeza, or joust ; 
but his majesty, in flaunting striped robes, 
shone conspicuous. Well mounted, a 
fearless horseman, and admirably skilled 
in the use of the spear, he had on no pre- 
vious occasion been seen to so great ad- 
vantage as during his participation in the 
warlike exercises of the new year — now 
pursuing, and now in turn pursued by the 
warrior whom he had honored by selection 
as his antagonist in the tilt. 



" Guebroo is sick," quoth the monarch, 
the moment the display was over ; " he 
has received a severe wound in the head 
during a skirmish with the rebel Galla, 
and I am desirious that you should now 
visit him, taking with you the medicine 
for putrid sores !" 

Ayto Berkie, the governor of Bulga, 
volunteered his escort to Daliiti, the abode 
of his invalid brother. Crossing the serpen- 
tine Bereza, the road led through swampy 
meadows, and over little cultivated knolls 
destitute of either tree or shrub, toward 
Angollala, which, after a gallop of seven 
miles, opened in the distance. On the 
summit of a tabular eminence rose the 
king's two-storied palace, above churches 
and" conical houses; and five distinct 
knolls, forming an arc in the intermediate 
and otherwise level landscape, were sev- 
erally crowned by the abodes of favorite 
courtiers — that on the extreme right, em- 
bowered in luxuriant trees, pertaining to 
Ayto Guebroo, governor of Mentshar. 

Ascending the tumulus by a steep and 
stony path, a muddy court-yard was thread- 
ed to the abode of the great man. Sur- 
rounded by mournful attendants he reclined 
on an alga before a fierce fire, his right 
eye screened by a shade of blue calico, 
and his well-greased partner sobbing vio- 
lently at his feet. The Gille and Loomi 
Galla, bordering on the ancient province 
of " Fat i gar," having revolted, the warrior 
had taken the field with his contingent, 
and becoming opposed to a rebel in hand 
to hand combat, had received the first 
spear on his buckler, which was now os- 
tentatiously displayed. The horse of his 
adversary fell under a well-directed lance, 
and the dismounted pagan sued for quar- 
ters ; obtaining which he treacherously 
launched his remaining shaft, which had 
cleft the forehead, and passed through the 
corner of the eye, although without de- 
stroying the vision. 

The patient having pledged himself to 
submit to the prescribed treatment, which 
few in Abyssinia will do, an operation was 
successfully performed. Drying her tears, 
the hostess had meanwhile slaughtered a 
ram, and made extensive preparations for a 
repast Piles of thin teff cakes loaded the 
low wicker table — bowis of potent pepper- 
porridge smoked at the place appointed for 
each guest, and lumps of raw meat were 
in profusion ; nor was it without infinite 
surprise that the hospitable entertainers 
and their domestics beheld the chops sub- 
mitted in the first instance to the influence 
of the hot embers. " Do all of your na- 
tion thus burn their meat ?" inquired the 



144 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



lady after long and attentive observation : 
«* I was told that such was the case, and 
that you burned the king's bread too, but 
could never have believed it." 

Some difficulty was experienced by the 
king in comprehending how an eye could 
be restored by the use of the knife, but his 
majesty was at a still greater loss to under- 
stand by what means a subject had been 
cured, while he himself remained in par- 
tial blindness. Ayto Katama, who was 
present at this observation, turning to 
one of the party whispered, " Do not sup- 
pose that tne negoos is blind of that eye : 
may Sahela Selassie die, he sees bet- 
ter with it than with the other !" Like 
^sop of old, who was once a bondsman, 
the general of the body-guard still retained 
the grovelling spirit of slavery, varnished 
with the address of the artful courtier; 
and had he flourished in the days of Solon 
and Croesus, he would doubtless have sup- 
ported the advice given to the Grecian phi- 
losopher by the hunchback author of the 
fables, " that we should either not come 
near crowned heads at all, or speak, those 
things only that will prove agreeable to 
them." 



CHAPTER LIV. 

THE FALLS OF THE BEREZA. 

Hunting expeditions filled up the lei- 
sure hours of the busy monarch. Seated 
on the verge of the deep ravine by which 
the now deserted fastness of Tegulet is 
insulated from the plain of Debra Berhan, 
it was his majesty's wont to project stone 
balls from his rifle at the hyenas basking 
upon huge fragments of fallen rock, which 
form caverns one thousand feet below, and 
choke the bed of the pathless chasm. 
Then the steps of the royal cavalcade 
would be directed to the valley of the Be- 
reza, where " Satan's horses," in the shape 
of gigantic adjutants, were striding over 
the plain on their long stilt-like legs, with 
well-filled pouches dangling beneath their 
bills. Here, seated upon the green turf, 
the negoos awaited the report of his scouts. 
While turning the corner of the numerous 
abrupt eminences, his ears were ever sa- 
luted by loud cries of u Abiet ! Abiet /" 
from the mouth of many a petitioner, and 
a very respectable body of plaintiff's and 
defendants were always in attendance. 

Judgment was calmly delivered, until 
the arrival of some breathless horseman 
with intelligence of the discovery of a col- 
ony of baboons, would arrest the proceed- 



ings of the sylvan court. " Sahela Selassie 
ye moot?" inquired the sporting monarch 
on one of these occasions, adjuring the in- 
formant by his own illustrious life ; " are 
they well surrounded ?" " May Sahela 
Selassie die if they be not," responded the 
slave, as he bowed his head to the dust; 
" hundreds graze in yonder cornfield." 
" Then by the death of Woosen Suggud 
they shall be slain," was the rejoinder, as 
his majesty galloped toward the spot, fol- 
lowed by every rifle and fowling-piece of 
which the imperial armory could boast 

On the verge of the deep valley a count- 
less pigfaced army was presently revealed, 
laying waste the rising crop. Lusty vet- 
erans, muffled in long flowing manes, strut- 
ted consequentially among the ladies, and 
others, squatted upon their hunkers, with 
many a ghastly grin displayed their white 
teeth while hunting down the vermin that 
infested their rough shaggy coats. Cast- 
ing aside his chequered robe, the king, 
with all the ardor of a schoolboy, dashed 
into the middle of the amazed group, and 
under a running fire from himself and 
courtiers, the field was presently strewed 
with slain and wounded. Mangled wretches 
were now to be seen dragging their muti- 
lated limbs behind them in ineffectual ex- 
ertions to reach the precipitous chasm of 
the Bereza, whose white foaming waters 
were thundering below, while the grima- 
cing survivors, far out of danger, whooped 
in echoes amid the bush-grown clefts, to 
reassemble the discomfited forces. 

Return from this brilliant victory was 
celebrated by the war-chorus, until the 
appearance of a herkoom waddling over the 
ploughed land, again proved the signal for 
general pursuit. This gigantic and de- 
formed bird is of the genus hornbill, and 
an abrupt unmeaning excrescence above 
his huge jagged forceps, imparts a fancied 
resemblance to the slaves ot the king, who 
carry water-jars upon their heads, which 
has dignified him with the title of " Abba 
Gumbo," " the Father of the Pitcher." It 
has blue wattles, which, when the bird is 
worried, become inflamed like those of the 
turkey-cock ; and from the fact of its al- 
ways constructing the door of its nest to 
the eastward, the Abyssinians assert that 
it will never build out of sight of a church. 

The plumage throughout is, to appear- 
ance, of a sooty black ; but the expansion 
of the wings displays an assemblage of 
snowy quills, which form the pride of the 
warrior who has slain his enemy in battle. 
Mules were abandoned with one accord ; 
and under the encouraging gaze of the 
despot, the courtiers, springing into their 



" THE DEVIL'S SHEEP "—THE CATARACT. 



143 



high-peaked saddles, scoured after the de- 
voted quarry. Weary with its long flight, 
the heavy bird alighted a dozen times, but 
no rest was ever allowed. Again he was 
turned, and again he distanced his pur- 
suers, until beleagured on all sides, he was 
finally speared by the chief smith and body 
physician, who as an equestrian shone facile 
princeps,znd whose skill rewarded the head 
of each hero engaged, with the coveted 
white plume, the Amharic emblem of death. 

" My children have never seen the 
* devil's sheep,'" gravely observed his ma- 
jesty, as he ascended toward the palace, 
preceded by strains of martial music. 
" They live in holes in the rocks under the 
great waterfall, and have long snouts : my 
people are afraid. Take guns in the morn- 
ing, and the pages will show you the road. 
Now you may eat." 

Heavy dew covered the long waving 
grass, as the party, accompanied by the 
promised escort, proceeded at an early 
hour, to gratify the royal curiosity by the 
destruction of the dreaded monster. It 
proved on realization to be an inoffensive 
badger; and although the sport did not 
afford very much diversion, the cataract 
amply repaid the ride across the meadow. 
Leaving the terrace of table-land, the ser- 
pentine river, far hid from sight, winds 
through a succession of verdant hills, to- 
ward a precipitous valley, down which the 
foaming torrent rushes over a descent of 
eight rocky basins. Hemmed in by fantas- 
tic pillars of basalt, composed of irregular 
disjointed polygons, the dark craggy sur- 
face, laid bare by the violence of ages, is at 
strange variance with the bright emerald 
turf which creeps luxuriantly to the very 
verge of the frowning abyss ; while twelve 
hundred feet below, the sparry walls sud- 
denly contract ■ to the breadth of fifteen 
yards, and the accumulated waters of the 
cascades, discharging through the natural 
floodgate, boil onward in their wild career. 

A perpendicular crag towering above 
the royal iron mines, rears its crumbling 
head from the very bottom of the vale to the 
level of the upper stream, as if to mark the 
puddenness of the descent. The entire 
face of the verdant hills which repose above 
the roaring cataract, were covered with 
balmy thyme and other aromatic herbs, 
which, steaming under the influence of the 
morning sun, yielded up their fragrance at 
every step ; and new and lovely flowers, 
sparkling under the dew-drop, carpeted the 
slope. From the very brink of the dizzy 
torrent, lofty junipers raised their tall stems, 
and flung their mossy arms to a vast height, 
though still appearing but as small twigs ; 



and the white cloud of mist and spume and 
spray, which arose from the gloomy chasm, 
reflecting the prismatic colors of the Iris, 
completed a picture of singular wildness 
and magnificence. 

How different, indeed, is the fate await- 
ing the waters of one and the same shower 
discharged over the high culminating ridge 
of the Abyssinian Alps ! A rain-drop, fall- 
ing on the eastern slope of the shed, wends 
its short course by the nearest streamlet 
toward the muddy Hawash ; and, if not ab- 
sorbed by the thirsty plains of the Ada'iel, 
adds its mite to the lagoon of Aussa — to 
filter, perhaps, through some subterranean 
channel into the Indian Ocean. But far 
distant is the pilgrimage that awaits the 
more ambitious cloud that sinks on the 
western side. Joining the Berez, and 
taking the fearful leap over the dazzling 
cataract of Debra Berhan, it hurries down 
the Jumma on its impetuous course to the 
Bahr el Azreek — rolls through the golden 
sands of Damot — and, after visiting Meroe 
and Thebes, and all the stately pyramids, 
either adds its humble tribute to the still 
waves of the blue Mediterranean, or is 
sacrificed to the fertility of the land of 
Egypt, 

" Where, with annual pomp, 
Rich king of floods ! o'erflows the swelling Nile." 



CHAPTER LV. 

THE ANNUAL REVIEW. 

As the month rolled on, under a cold and 
pleasant sky, governors of the adjacent dis- 
tricts flocked with their quotas to Debra 
Berhan, to be in readiness against the ap- 
proaching anniversary of "Maskal." On 
this festival, held in commemoration of the 
discovery of the holy cross by St. Helena, 
the rabble militia composing the Amhara 
forces being marshalled in order of review, 
the ?rassy slope in front of the palace be- 
came daily more and more thickly dotted 
with black booths and mules and neighing 
steeds. Honors, appointments, and re- 
wards are now conferred upon the brave 
and the deserving ; and this being also the 
season of retribution, the forfeited property 
and the household chattels of delinquent 
officers, added to the fair-like confusion. 
Herds of cattle, and long files of confis- 
cated slaves, wooden tables, rickety bed- 
steads, and other paltry prizes of royal seiz- 
ure, crowded the bustling parade ; whild 
groups of shivering camels, transferred by 
writ of execution to an uncongenial clime. 



146 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



took up their miserable station on the bare 
cold ground, which was in a few days to 
receive their long scraggy bones. 

On the eve of the anxiously expected 
day of jubilee, the din of the nugareet, fol- 
lowed by the repeated discharge of heavily- 
loaded matchlocks, proclaimed the move- 
ment of the household troops toward the 
palace portals, to guard the imperial person, 
according to custom immemorial, from any 
sudden outbreak of the wild host encamped 
in the environs. Halting in front of the 
tents of the embassy, the war-dance was 
performed by the light of the torch, in honor 
of the stranger guests ; and while the lead- 
ers solaced themselves with a cup of cur- 
acoa, their curvetting chargers, ridden 
by confidential henchmen, bore gallantly 
among the dense mass ; and the bright 
metal stars and studs of the appointments 
gleamed amid the dark ranks of the savage 
warriors, as they howled to a thundering 
war chorus the Amhara war song of death. 
Bidding good night, the chiefs declared 
among the affirmative whoops of their fol- 
lowers, that next to the safety of the sacred 
person of royalt}^, the valued lives of their 
much-esteemed foreign friends should be 
uppermost in the thoughts of the coming 
vigil. 

Most unkingly was the appearance pre- 
sented by the palace at break of day, and 
most unprincely the confusion of the court. 
Dirt and filth reigned paramount in every 
purlieu of the royal residence — mire to the 
ankle obstructed every gateway — and the 
rods of the wearied door-keepers were bro- 
ken to splinters in their laudable endea- 
vors to check the rush of the eager and 
greasy mob. The very houses seemed 
more gloomy than usual, and the time-worn 
mud plaster of the ancient walls more som- 
bre and dilapidated than was its wont. 

The despot was for some hours to be 
seen squatted in the porch of the banquet- 
ing hall, surrounded by all the concomitant 
litter of a forge, which, puffing away at the 
foot of the alga, under the personal super- 
vision of the chief smith, blew a cloud of 
dust and ashes into the royal nostrils. 
Decorum seemed to be laid aside for the 
day. Chattering and noise resounded in 
every quarter. Restraint was removed 
from the tongues of all, and the uplifted 
voice of the mighty monarch was at times 
scarcely audible, amid the clatter of sur- 
rounding courtiers, and the ringing of the 
crow upon the anvil. 

Twenty sallow eunuchs, acting each at 
one and the same time as master of the 
ceremonies, introduced to the royal notice 
the crowds of lieges, who, arrayed in most 



filthy garbs, came crushing together to the 
front. Priests and monks, and petty gov- 
ernors, women, slaves, and cultivators, bore 
each some present to swell the imperial 
stores. Honey, butter, and beads, sticks, 
crutches, and censers, were alike received 
with complimentary speeches, saving in 
the instance of one burly knave, who pre- 
sumed to come before the king with a poor 
bundle of grass. Of him no notice what- 
ever was taken. The very crowd seemed 
ashamed of so scurvy an offering, and an 
opening being spontaneously made, a few 
kicks and shoves sent the ill-provided vas- 
sal speedily out of sight, unrewarded by 
the customary "God give thee more!" 
from the lips of his puissant sovereign. 

But the sun rose upon a different scene, 
as the embassy, in full uniform, were ush- 
ered through the grassy lawn to make 
their bows to his majesty. Surrounded 
by all the grandees of the court, in their 
holiday attire, the generals of the cavalry 
and body-guard, the household officers, 
and the alakas and high-priests of all the 
principal churches, he reclined on a mov- 
able throne, tricked out for the occasion 
in velvet and satin. Rich kimlchabs, gay 
silken vests, and a profusion of silver 
swords and decorations for gallant con- 
duct, sparkled on the persons of the cour- 
tiers ; and the turmoil attending the early 
hours of business had given place to the 
unbending gravity of Abyssinian etiquette. 

The artillery escort having, greatly to 
the admiration of the bystanders, gone 
through the manual and platoon exercises 
with blank cartridge, three hundred Afe~ 
roch, under the command of the purveyor- 
general, entered the arena, elevating high 
above their heads bundles of pealed wands, 
bound together with wisps of rushes, and 
bedecked with garlands of the yellow 
cross-flower. The wild song of rejoicing 
at the return of spring, and of the season 
of blossoms, " when the fleas retire and 
the flies appear," had been heard a con- 
siderable time, waxing louder and louder, 
as these lictors with their fasces approach- 
ed the scene of exhibition. Shouting the 
war-chorus, they now moved forward with 
a mincing gait, and after the most abject 
prostration to the earth, with a yell, hurl- 
ing their rods in a heap before the palace 
steps, the whole crouched in a semicircle. 
Their leader and his stewards, some on 
horseback, others on foot, clothed in the 
spoils of wild beasts, then displayed them- 
selves individually in the war-dance, gal- 
loping or vaulting between the open ranks, 
encouraging the men to fight, and demean 
themselves as warriors in the day of bat- 



ROYAL MILITARY REVIEW. 



147 



tie— each ending his recitative by a ter- 
rific howl, wherein he was unanimously 
joined by the whole lictor band. 

This exhibition terminated, the embassy, 
on horseback, were marshalled to a gay 
Turkish pavilion, which had been pur- 
posely erected, below the royal inspection 
tower. A small-roofed building, resem- 
bling a sentry-box, or the judge's stand on 
a country race-course, occupies a raised 
platform immediately within the palace 
inclosure. Gay cloth hangings enveloped 
this cage, and carpets and rugs of all co- 
lors covered the top of the rude wall for 
some distance on either side. The ne- 
goos was already seated when his British 
guests cantered past, and taking off their 
hats, received a condescending salutation. 
The usual paraphernalia of silver-emboss- 
ed velvet floated at the imperial feet. The 
chiefs of the churches, and the civil offi- 
cers of state — a gorgeous band — were ar- 
ranged along the platform, while a motley 
crowd of many thousand spectators stood 
closely packed over the plain below. 

Dense masses of cavalry were in readi- 
ness, at the farther extremity of the pa- 
rade, to perform the pageant of the day. 
At the distance of one hundred yards 
from the imperial stand, a stack of tall 
leafless willow-staves towered over the 
bright green turf which extended far and 
wide in front. Around it were squatted 
files of warriors, ensconsed under their 
round shields, like the tortoise beneath his 
shell — the charge of sundry huge culve- 
rins, of inordinate dimensions, being di- 
vided betwixt every three. The muzzle 
resied over the shoulder of one, a second 
worked the butt, and a third was prepared, 
with blazing brand, to fire on the signal 
given. The review commenced by the 
advance of Ayto Katama's body-guard, 
consisting entirely of fusileers, three- 
fourths of w r hom were on this occasion 
equipped with the muskets that had recent- 
ly been presented. Divided into four 
bodies, consisting each of about one hun- 
dred men, they moved slowly forward, shout- 
ing the usual war-chorus, in imitation of 
the voice of the lion, and were kept in 
line by the vigorous application of the rat- 
tan. Numerous bangles, the reward of 
distinguished gallantry, glittered through- 
out the band, and the fixed bayonets, here- 
tofore unknown in Southern Abyssinia, 
gleamed brightly in the sunshine. Gain- 
ing the prescribed distance, the warriors 
crouched on the ground, as if to receive 
cavalry. A gray-headed but energetic 
veteran sprang to the front— danced du- 
ring some time in a variety of uncouth 



capers — and uttering a howl such as might 
be conjectured to issue from the lungs of 
the demon in the wolf's glen, discharged 
his piece. The signal was followed by a 
running fire along the entire line, when 
the remaining companies, advancing in 
succession in the same order, performed 
the same evolutions, and all marched off 
dancing and singing to the outer ring. 

The commander-in-chief of this doughty 
band had meanwhile formed a conspicuous, 
although rather a ludicrous figure in the 
performance. Adorned with a flowing 
garment of flaring chintz, the gaudy hues 
and absurd pattern of which the kaleide- 
scope itself must have found difficulty in 
devising, Ayto Katama, a bondsman from 
his youth, exhibited his bloated figure in 
front of the phalanx of slaves, his head 
enveloped in a crimson harlequin cap. 
Tripping and mincing in the most un- 
seemly capers and gestures, he brandished 
his crooked blade in a fashion which 
could alone have proved dangerous to him- 
self. Suffering under the effects of an 
inveterate sore throat, no soul-inspiring 
words burst from his mute lips, and the 
vaporing general, and his mazy unmilitary 
motions, vividly portraying to the eye of 
the spectator the strut of a crippled pea- 
cock with tail unfurled before his admiring 
harem, shed a broad light of caricature 
over this opening scene of the pantomime 
of savage warfare. 

But tne king's master of the horse next 
advanced, with his glittering squadron of 
picked household cavalry — the flower of 
the Christian lances. Ayto Melkoo was 
arrayed in a parti-colored vest, surmounted 
by a crimson Arab fleece, handsomely 
studded with silver jets. A gilt embossed 
gauntlet encircled his right arm from the 
wrist to the elbow. His targe and horse- 
trapping glittered with a profusion of silver 
crosses and devices ; and he looked a 
stately and martial warrior, curvetting at 
the head of his tried troop of well-appoint- 
ed lancers. 

Forming line at the distance of half a 
mile, and approaching the willow pile with 
a musical accompaniment from a mounted 
band of kettle-drums, the squadron halted, 
and the leader, couching his lance, advan- 
ced in front. While putting his well- 
broken charger through all the evolutions 
of Abyssinian manege, he vaunted his 
prowess in arms, recited the prodigies of 
valor performed in the service of his royal 
master, and proclaimed his continued good 
faith, and future bold intentions — his" fol- 
lowers, at intervals, like the Romans of 
old, responding their assent by the loud 



148 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



clatter of lance against shield. The har- 
rangue concluded, his spears were dashed 
upon the ground, and the chieftain, draw- 
ing his broad two-edged falchion, brandish- 
ed it in the air : " Tockatoo, Loola, Loola, 
Gummoo, Sik, Oooooh" he vociferated, as 
he dashed his heels into the flank of the 
prancing steed. An instantaneous howl, 
and independent discharge of culverins, 
answered the signal ; and the wild troop 
swept past at a gallop to the farther ex- 
tremity of the parade. 

At the royal command, a salute of 
twenty-one guns was fired by the artillery 
escort, from the brass three-pounder which 
had been dragged by oxen below the wil- 
low stack. Great was the admiration of 
the wild Galla multitude, as they gazed on 
the glittering appointments and embroid- 
ered housings of the British guests of his 
majesty, now assembled on horseback in 
front of the watch-tower ; and sufficiently 
diverting were the remarks passed on the 
fluttering plumes of white and red feathers 
— their own emblems of bloody, though 
not chivalrous deeds. And when the can- 
nonade opened upon ears that had never 
before been saluted by the thunder of ord- 
nance*, and a cloud of white smoke as- 
cended high above the heads of those who 
had hitherto beheld such volumes arise 
only from burning hamlets, a buzz of ap- 
plause pealed from end to end of the ex- 
tended line. Each echoing report carried 
to the hearts of the congregated savages, 
a powerful argument for future loyalty, 
and it needed little discrimination to un- 
ravel the royal policy, which had dictated 
so great an honor to his foreign visitors. 

Thirteen governors, clothed in spoils 
stripped from the lion and the leopard, with 
other conspicuous trophies of the chase, 
passed successively in order of review. 
Decked in emblems of blood — rings, feath- 
ers, bracelets, and gauntlets, with shining 
coronets and chains of silver streaming 
from their clotted hair — tokens all of in- 
dividual prowess in hand to hand combat 
with the king's foes — the leader of each 
glittering cohort indulged in a long, ram- 
bling harangue, ere shouting the signal for 
the charge. Many there were who wore 
the akoddma — a massive transverse beam 
of silver, projecting across the brows, and 
hung with a profusion of chains and pen- 
dants, the reward for the slaughter of an 
Adel, several of which respectable body, 
including the ras el kafilah and his fiery 
coadjutor, Ibrahim Shehem, were specta- 
tors of the martial manoeuvres of the Am- 
hara troops. 

An interesting, though perhaps not a 



very military sight, was witnessed as the 
hours drew on. The famished governors, 
judges, chiefs, nobles, courtiers, and dig- 
nitaries of the church, who occupied the 
elevated platform on either side of the 
royal box, unable longer to resist the calls 
of hunger, were suddenly to be perceived 
in the act of employing their crooked 
swords in reducing the dimensions of sev- 
eral sides and flaps of raw beef, furnished 
by the king's munificence, and ostenta- 
tiously displayed by as many menials — nor, 
under the well-directed and vigorous at- 
tacks of the assembly, were the reeking 
collops long in disappearing. 

A few only of the detachments, whose 
leaders were not gifted with eloquence, 
charged past without a halt, from the 
ground on which they had formed ; and it 
is not improbable that these, having made 
the circuit of the palace inclosure, now 
swelled the pageant by appearing a second 
time on the stage. Others, dismounting, 
performed various evolutions on foot — an- 
cient heroes, with gleaming falchions of 
truly portentous dimensions, capering and 
striding before the line, until, on a signal 
made by the culverins, they vaulted again 
into the saddles, and dashed onward over 
the greensward, now fast fading under the 
tramp of hoofs. 

Last of all came the tall, martial figure 
of Abogaz Maretch, chief of all the trib- 
utary Galla in the south, at the head of his 
Abidchu legion, who closed the display of 
barbarian tactics. Three thousand in 
number, the sea of wild horsemen moved 
in advance to the music of kettle-drums, 
their arms and decorations flashing in the 
sunbeam ; and their ample white robes 
and long sable, braided hair streaming to 
the breeze. At the shrill whoop of their 
warlike leader, with the rushing sound of 
a hurricane, the glittering cohort clattered 
past the royal stand, and the moving forest 
of lances disappeared under a cloud of 
dust. 

From eight to ten thousand cavalry were 
present in the field, and the spectacle, 
which lasted from nine in the morning un- 
til five in the afternoon, was exceedingly 
wild and impressive. Did the warriors, 
who this day recounted their valorous 
achievements before the monarch, possess 
hearts of a measure with their good weap- 
ons and strong seats, they could not fail to 
prove the means of extensive power and 
conquest under the control of an aspiring 
chief ; but such unfortumtely is not the 
case, and the speed of the stout hardy 
steeds that they bestrode, is too frequently 
exerted in the wrong direction. 



OF ROCKETS— ANGOLLALA. 



149 



As soon as it became dark, rockets 
which had been brought by the embassy- 
were to be discharged from the tents by 
the king's express desire. With fire-arms 
the Abyssinians were previously acquaint- 
ed, and the brass galloper which had ech- 
oed so recently, although viewed with 
wonderful respect, was still only the en- 
gine on a colossal scale, to which they 
were familiarized. But these were the 
first rockets of which his majesty had 
viewed the flight, and the impression they 
produced upon his mind, as he gazed from 
his watch-tower, was scarcely less than 
that worked upon his assembled subjects. 
Night had thrown her sable mantle around, 
and the novel principle of ascent, with the 
grandeur of the brilliant rush into the 
skies, afforded matter of amazement to all 
spectators. When the projectile started 
with a loud roar from its bed, men, women, 
and children, fell flat upon their faces. 
Horses and mules broke loose from their 
tethers, and the warrior who had any heart 
remaining, shouted aloud. The Galla 
tribes who witnessed the meteor-like ex- 
plosion from the vicinity, ascribed the phe- 
nomenon to the use of potent medicines, 
and declared that since the Gyptzis could 
at pleasure produce comets in the sky, and 
rain fire from heaven, there was nought 
for them left, save abject submission to the 
king's commands. 

The ceremony of burning the stack of 
willow staves on the parade, commenced 
shortly after this exhibition, and, superin- 
tended by his majesty in person, termina- 
ted the proceedings of the busy day. 
Shrouded from the rude gaze of the popu- 
lace under the nocturnal veil, the ladies of 
the royal harem danced and clapped their 
hands together, as their white ghostlike 
figures moved in circling procession around 
the pile so shortly to be committed to the 
flames. Then followed a rush of torch- 
bearers from various quarters, mingled 
with the corps of Aferoch, and all reeling 
under the effects of strong old hydromel. 
Three hundred flower-decked fasces, dis- 
played bright and fresh in the morning, 
but now withered and faded, were with 
savage shouts and yells cast simultaneous- 
ly on the pyre, and a burst of lurid glare, 
which revealed all that was passing, at 
once proclaimed their ignition. Thousands 
crowding round the fast-increasing blaze 
added their tribute, and joined in the din 
of voices. Black crosses to repel the devil 
were described on the forehead with the 
charred wood, in the struggle to obtain 
which hard blows were dealt lustily about, 
and many of the competitors were even 



forced into the pile. The legend asserts 
that on the discovery of the Holy Cross by 
the mother of Constantine the Great, she 
caused beacon fires to be lighted on all the 
high hills of Palestine, upon beholding 
which a general shout of joy was raised 
by the people of Constantinople. In imi- 
tation hereof, wild songs and yells of tri- 
umph from the inebriated Christians of 
Shoa, now completed the turmoil and con- 
fusion, and with the crackling red flames 
that curled up the tall dry staves, ascended 
high into the starry vault of heaven in 
honor of Saint Helena. 



CHAPTER LVI. 

THE GALLA CAPITAL. 

Angollala, on the Galla frontier, found- 
ed ten years since by the reigning mon- 
arch, is now the capital of the western 
portion of Shoa, and during the greater 
part of the year it forms his majesty's fa- 
vorite place of residence. Thither he 
proceeded on the morning following the 
festivities of Maskal. Upward of three 
thousand horsemen composed the cortege, 
which was swelled every quarter of a 
mile by large detachments of cavalry. 
Led by their respective chiefs, each band 
dismounted at a considerable distance on 
the flank, and advancing on foot, with 
shoulders bared, fell prostrate with one ac- 
cord before the state umbrellas. The 
negoos bestrode a richly caparisoned mule, 
with swallow-tailed housings of crimson 
and green, and massive silver collars ; and 
he was closely followed by the corps of 
shield-bearers, under the direction of the 
master of the horse, who, by vigorous sal- 
lies, and the judicious exercise of a long 
stick, kept the crowd from encroaching 
upon the royal person, during the eight 
mile ride over the level plain. 

From four to five hundred circular huts, 
consisting of loose stone walls very rudely 
thatched, cover the slopes of a group of 
tabular hills that inclose an extensive 
quadrangle. On the summit of the largest 
eminence, near the church of Kidana 
Meherat, stands the palace, defended by 
six rows of stout high palisades. A clum- 
sy stone edifice of two stories, towering in 
the form of a dovecot, occupies the centre. 
It was erected by Demetrius, an Albanian 
visitor, and is considerably superior in point 
of architecture to all other domiciles in 
the realm, although somewhat tottering in 
appearance, and deserted from an appre- 



150 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



hension of earthquake, which holds strong 
possession of the royal mind. " Earth- 
quakes are bad things," was his majesty's 
remark, " for they overthrow houses, and 
demolish my people." 

The rugged ascent up the steep hill-side 
was thronged with spectators, male and 
female, assembled to greet the arrival of 
their sovereign, and to stare at the for- 
eigners. Paupers and mendicants crowd- 
ed the first inclosure ; and the approach 
from the second gate through four court- 
yards, to the king's quarters, was lined 
with matchlockmen and fusileers, who, as 
the embassy passed between the ranks, 
made a laughable attempt to present arms 
in imitation of the artillery escort at the 
review. Kitchens, magazines, and brew- 
eries were scattered in all directions ; and, 
with the long banqueting-hall, the cham- 
ber of audience, the apartments of the 
women, and the solitary cells, formed a 
curious, but far from imposing group of 
buildings. 

The despot, in high good humor, con- 
ducted his guests over the unswept prem- 
ises, and up a rude ladder to the attic 
story, which commands a pleasant prospect 
over wide grassy meadows, intersected by 
serpentine streamlets, and covered with 
the royal herds. Upon a floor strewed 
with newly cut grass, blazed the wood fire 
in the iron stove, with the never-failing 
cats luxuriating under its influence. A 
dirty couch graced the alcove, and a few 
guns and fowling-pieces the rudely white- 
washed walls ; but otherwise, the dreary 
chamber was unfurnished. " I have brought 
you here," quoth his majesty, " that you 
may understand what I want. These 
rooms require to be ornamented ; and I 
wish your artist to cover them with ele- 
phants and soldiers, and with representa- 
tions of all the buildings and strange things 
in your country, which my eyes have not 
seen. At present, my children may go." 

Awnings had been pitched on the sum- 
mit of Debra Maskal,* the southern emi- 
nence. The weather was now intensely 
cold, and a fire during the evening hours 
could not be dispensed with. As the em- 
bers died away, and the smoke cleared 
from the interior of the flimsy pall, the 
teeth chattered under the pinching exhala- 
tion from the ground. Rifles became 
rusty in a single night, from the heavy 
white dew that saturated the cloth — 
watches stopped beneath the pillow — and 
heaps of blankets proved of small avail to 
the cramped and shivering limbs, which 

♦The hill of the Cross. 



told full well of the white hoar that was 
incrusting the verdure of the adjacent 
meadow. 

In the filthy purlieus of the palace, and 
close to the outer gate, stands a mound of 
ashes and rubbish, mingled with the noi- 
some lees that stream over the road from 
the adjacent royal breweries. Packs of 
half-wild dogs, the pest of Angollala, lux- 
uriate hereon during the day, and at night 
set forth on their reckless foray, dispelling 
sleep when the moon rises by their fune- 
real dirge, and destroying tents in their 
pilfering invasions. Long before the dawn, 
the shrill crowing of a thousand cocks first 
starts the slumberer from his uneasy re- 
pose. The wild whoop of the oppressed 
Galla, who demands redress, then mingles 
with the " Abiet! Abiet!" reiterated by the 
more civilized Amhara from every hill- 
top ; and the memory of those who have 
ever witnessed the breaking of the glorious 
day amid nature's luxuriant forests of the 
East, is forcibly carried back to the tan- 
gled thicket, where the campanero tolls her 
bell-like note from the branches of the 
spreading tamarind, and the wild ape fills 
up the interval with his deep voice of ex- 
ultation, as he pounces upon the bitter ap- 
ple of the wood. 

Bands of mendicant monks next silently 
take post on the crest of a crumbling wall 
within spear's length of the slumberer's 
pillow, and by a shrill recitative, followed 
by a chiming chorus of independent voices, 
dispel the morning dream, while they 
scream with a pertinacity that bribery can 
alone quell. Psalms and hymns never fail 
to usher in the morn ; and when the as- 
perity of cracked and aged throats is some- 
what mellowed by distance, the chant of 
Christian praise — now rambling wildly 
through all the varied shakes and intona- 
tions of a single voice — now swelling with 
the choral unison of many — is not alto- 
gether unpleasant. But greatly more me- 
lodious would it fall upon the mortal ear, 
if a lesson in music were taken from the 
warbling larks, which rise fluttering in 
hundreds from the steaming meadows, to 
lift their matin song — at intervals mount- 
ing far and faint in the cool dewy air, and 
again approaching in one rich quaver of 
delicious harmony, as the feathered song- 
ster alights fearlessly upon the awning. 

To the cry of •* Abiet /" which now re- 
sounded so unceasingly in the still air of 
the morning, the Abyssinians attach the 
opinion that, on the last day, Satan, pre- 
senting himself before the gates of heaven, 
will continue thus to vociferate until he 
gains admission. On presenting himself 



CODE OF LAWS— CRIMINAL JURISPRUDENCE. 



151 



before the judgment-seat, it will be asked 
"what he would have?" "The souls 
which have been wrested from me by the 
angels," is to be the reply ; but on his ac- 
knowledging inability to specify the names 
of those who have robbed him, the Father 
of Evil will be commanded to begone, and 
never to show his face again. 

Importunity is an attribute which stands 
prominently forth in the character of a na- 
tive of Southern Abyssinia. For hours 
together the numerous applicants for re- 
dress continue thus to call upon the master 
from every eminence around the palace, 
until at. length the door-keepers appearing, 
beckon the petitioners to draw nigh. Well 
aware, however, of the existing understand- 
ing between these servitors and the " Four 
Chairs," the very judges against whose de- 
cision they would appeal, they give no heed 
to the summons, but thrusting their fingers 
into their ears, do but lift up their voices 
the louder, until the king commands one of 
his pages to cause the whole to assemble 
in the court-yard, where, with shoulders 
bared to the waist, the parties fearlessly 
bring the subject of their complaint before 
the throne. 

Opportunities were therefore daily af- 
forded of witnessing the dispensation of 
justice in this singular and anomalous land, 
where an Fthiopic translation of the code 
of Justinian, adapted to the customs of the 
country, forms the basis of legal decisions. 
The Fetha Negest, or "Judgment of the 
Kings," as this volume is entitled, is said 
to have fallen from heaven during the reign 
of Constantine the Great ; but its statutes, 
although liberally quoted on all convenient 
occasions, are not considered binding upon 
the monarch, unless found in perfect uni- 
son with his own despotic pleasure. Dis- 
putes are first adjusted by the governors of 
provinces, who, in the powers wherewith 
they are invested, resemble the feudal ba- 
rons of Europe in the Gothic ages, and of- 
ten perpetrate the grossest injustice. But 
the injured party can always seek redress 
in the court of the Four Wamberoch,* who, 
being literally "the bench," are the judges 
civil and criminal. These dignitaries daily 
take their seat in the verandah of a build- 
ing allotted in one of the palace courts, 
where accuser and accused deliver their 
conflicting statements in an equally ele- 
vated tone of oratory, accompanied by much 
theatrical gesture. The decision lies again 
under appeal to the throne ; and whenever 
the king sees fit to reverse it, the severest 



* Wamber signifies a chair, and its plural is Wam- 
beroch. 



censure is invariably passed upon delin- 
quent chairs. 

The lives and the lands of every subject 
of Shoa belong dejure to Sahela Selassie, 
and of their persons and worldly substance 
he is absolute master. Whether at the 
demise of the king or of the subject, the 
estates of the latter are again at the dispo- 
sal of the crown, and without the occur- 
rence of either contingency, the mere will 
and pleasure of the despot is alone requisite 
to their resumption. Violent use, however, 
is seldom made of this arbitrary power, and 
it is rarely resorted to, except in cases of 
high treason or of offences against the state, 
which, in place of capital punishment, are 
visited by confiscation of property, and by 
imprisonment for life, unless the offender 
shall have taken timely sanctuary in the 
monastery of Affal Woira, where his per- 
son being held inviolate, even by the king, 
the monks can often mediate with success. 
Slavery, either limited to the offender, or 
extended to his whole family, and continued 
to-his descendants, during one, two, or even 
seven generations, is a punishment from 
which no class is held exempt, but exile is 
usually substituted for offences committed 
by the clergy, the banished ecclesiastic be- 
ing then commanded to " stay not by day, 
neither to tarry by night," if he would avoid 
the penalty that awaits delay. 

In accordance with the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion, a life for a life is the punishment 
awarded to the murderer ; but, if permitted 
by the relatives of the deceased, the crimi- 
nal is authorized by law to purchase his 
pardon, and to beg through the land until 
he shall have realized the stipulated ran- 
som. But the escape of the criminal in- 
volves forfeiture of property by all his rela- 
tives who may be residing north of the river 
Airara, and, unless he be produced, the at- 
tachment continues in full force during 
three generations. Robbery is usually in- 
vestigated through the lebashi, or " thief- 
taker," who is indispensable to Abyssinian 
jurisprudence ; and the unhappy wretch 
whom his imp selects, if unable to pay the 
fine adjudged, is visited by castigation either 
with a whip or with a cudgel. If a Chris- 
tian, he is then confided to the care of a 
follower of the Prophet in some of the hot 
unwholesome Mohammadan districts — if 
an Islam, to that of a Christian — the party 
on whom the culprit is thus quartered, be- 
ing in either case held responsible to the 
crown for his safe custody during his term 
of hard labor. 

In all the courts of judicature, interest 
for money lent is recognized at the rate of 
one amole per mensem upon each dollar. 



152 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



No note of hand is ever exchanged, but 
the security of a substantial housekeeper 
is requisite, who is termed " was." Debt- 
ors are manacled, and suffered to roam 
through the country on this security, in 
order to beg the amount due among the 
charitably disposed, and it is a fact that in 
the absence of a " was" either the creditor 
or one of the retainers, is chained to the 
defaulter, and the happy couple thus linked 
wander through the country together, cry- 
ing " By Mary ! By Mary !" until the re- 
quisite sum shall have been contributed 
for the sake of the holy Virgin. 

At home and abroad, on excursions and 
on military expeditions, the loud cry of 
"Ahiet .'" salutes the royal ear from situa- 
tions the most strange and unexpected, and, 
although the land is despotic, appeals are 
almost always promptly attended to. The 
more importunate suitor, who will not re- 
main content with the promise of a future 
consideration of his claim, is sometimes 
visited with the stick, but no available op- 
portunity is neglected of listening to these 
endless petitioners. The halting-stone and 
the green turf are frequently transferred 
into seats of justice. Judgment is given 
while ambling over the fields and mead- 
ows ; and during five days of every week, 
many hours are devoted to the unravelment 
of knotty points of controversy, or to the 
adjustment of the tangled disputes and 
quarrels of the liege subjects of Shoa. 



CHAPTER LVII. 

CHASM OF THE CHACHA. 

The king had oftentimes vaunted the 
extraordinary natural fortification afforded 
to Angullala by the river Chacha, which 
for two days' journey to the northwestward 
rolls through a deep precipitous valley, of- 
fering a barrier impassable to human foot, 
and being then joined by the Bereza and 
by numerous other streams, skirts the cele- 
brated sanctuary of Sena Markos, whence 
the combined waters, taking the title of 
Jumma, roll on into the Nile. Setting out 
one morning at sunrise through the " sirk- 
osh ber*," he sent a page to conduct his 
guests to the junction of the tributary Fa- 
cha, which tumbles its torrent over a per- 
pendicular wall seven hundred feet in 
height ; and here his majesty, surrounded 
by a crowd of noisy applicants for justice, 
already occupied his favorite seat on the 
brink of the giddy chasm. 

* i. e. The secret gate or wicket. 



A cloud had overcast the despot's brow, 
for " Boro Winkee," his favorite war-steed, 
had that morning fallen down dead while 
exercising in the meadow. Taken in bat- 
tle from a potent Galla chieftain whose 
name it inherited, the steed had long en- 
joyed a stall within the royal bedchamber, 
and strong fears indeed were entertained 
for the effeminate little page Katama, who 
had been the luckless jockey. But no pun- 
ishment followed the catastrophe. The 
boy was a court favorite, and Antonistye, 
his father, by far the most renowned war- 
rior in Shoa, was mayor of the corporation 
of king's herdsmen, who take the field in 
independent bodies, and under the title of 
Abelam* form a distinct class, mingling 
with no other portion of the population. 

" What think you of my Galla ditch ?" 
inquired the monarch. "Have you any 
such in your country ?" 

There could be but one opinion regard- 
ing the yawning gulf, which extends a 
full mile in breadth, and has been rent by 
some violent convulsion in the bowels of 
the earth. Fifteen hundred feet below the 
otherwise uninterrupted plain, the mingled 
waters flow on like a silver cord, fed at in- 
tervals by foaming cascades, which raise a 
shower of white spray in their headlong 
descent ; while frowning basaltic cliffs cast 
a deep gloom over wild steppes and ter- 
races, whose lone hamlets and cottages are 
scarcely to be distinguished from the fallen 
masses of rock. Vast colonies of pig-faced 
baboons, the principal inhabitants, sally 
forth morning and evening from their strong 
city, to devastate the surrounding crops, in 
defiance of incessant war waged against 
them by the peasantry, armed with sticks 
and stones ; but outcasts and criminals, 
too, find a safe asylum among the almost 
inaccessible crannies of the abrupt, perpen- 
dicular scarps, where they sojourn below 
dense masses of foliage, unthought of, and 
unmolested. 

Deep buried in the bosom of the stupen- 
dous Chacha, and immediately below the 
roaring cataract, stands the little hamlet 
of Gureyo, the seat of the royal iron works, 
and thither, after the sylvan court had 
closed, the king descended, leaning on the 
arm of the chief smith, great master of the 
Tabiban, or mechanics, and royal physician 
in ordinary. The process of smelting and 
refining pursued in Abyssinia, has been 
common to almost every age and country 
from the earliest antiquity. Broken into 
small fragments and coarsely pulverized, 

♦Derived from the Aroh&ric word " abelta," "be 
may eat up." 



VILLAGE OF CHERKOS— A BASE ASSASSIN. 



153 



the ore is mixed with a large proportion of 
charcoal, and placed in a clay furnace re- 
sembling the smith's hearth, but furnished 
with a sloping cavity considerably depress- 
ed below the level of the blast pipes. The 
non-metallic particles, being brought to a 
state of fusion by the constant action of 
four pair of hand-worked bellows, the iron 
with the scoriae sinks to the bottom. This 
is again broken, and re-fused, when the 
dross flowing off, the pure metal is dis- 
charged in pigs, which, by a repetition of 
heating and welding, are wrought into 
bars ; but owing to the very rude and prim- 
itive apparatus employed, the unceasing 
toil of ten hours is indispensable to the re- 
alization of two pounds' weight of very in- 
ferior iron, which after all, in private works, 
is liable to a heavy tax to the crown. 

Embowered in a dark grove of junipers, 
on the opposite brink of the Chaka n'^s 
the silent village of Cherkos, rendered 
famous a few years since, through the 
massacre of one thousand of its Christian 
inhabitants by Medoko * a celebrated rebel. 
His proceedings occupy one of the most 
conspicuous pages in the chronicles of 
Shoa. Exalted by rare military talents 
and undaunted intrepidity to fa ^ e highest 
pinnacle of royal favor, he iecame elated 
by the distinctions confined, and being 
suspected of aiming * even greater do- 
minion, was suddenl? curled into the deepest 
disgrace, and be^ }t in the same moment 
of property an-* power. Burning with re- 
venge, the warrior crossed the border to 
the subjugated, though disaffected Galla, 
whom ne had so lately held in check, and 
who now with open arms received him as 
their leader in revolt. 

At the head of a vast horde of wild cav- 
alry, reinforced by a number of matchlock- 
men, who had deserted their allegiance, 
the rebel marched upon Angollala. But 
he was frustrated in his designs by finding 
the only assailable point fortified by staked 
pits and ditches — the deep rugged channel 
of the Chacha opposing, as he well knew, 
an insurmountable barrier in every other 
direction. Desertion soon spread among 
the undisciplined rabble, and after several 
skirmishes with the royal troops, the offen- 
der sought an asylum at Zalla Dingai. 
Through the powerful mediation of Zena- 
ma Work, the queen-dowager, he was 
suffered to throw himself at the feet of his 
despotic master, and not only obtained 
pardon, but from motives of policy was 
eventually restored to all his former dig- 
nities. 



His Gaze!. 
11 



Medoko's second rebellion and tragic 
death, embodied from the authentic details 
of eye-witnesses, will form the subject of 
the six succeeding chapters. They are 
designed to throw upon the character of 
the monarch, and upon the customs of his 
court, a light which could scarcely have 
been admitted through any other lattice. 
The standard of revolt long waved over 
the heathen frontier, and when the storm 
which for months threatened the subver- 
sion of the empire, had at length been 
quelled by the extinction of the fiery and 
turbulent spirit that h?^ raised it, large 
offerings were madp &y his majesty to all 
the churches an* 1 monasteries throughout 
the realm, i« return for their prayers ; and 
solemn j* ocessions and thanksgivings were 
a ttP*<ied by the exercise of every sort of 
t^ork of charity and devotion. 

Among the royal retinue this day seated 
before the village of Cherkos, was a young 
man, of haughty and daring exterior, 
whose flowing black mantle covered a 
breast that must have been often agitated 
by strange emotions. It was Chara, the 
son of the rebel, one of the only two mem- 
bers of the disgraced family to whom Sa- 
hela Selassie has become reconciled, and a 
youth who is said to resemble his sire, not 
less in appearance than in gallant bearing. 
Prior to the breaking out of the insurrec- 
tion, he had urged the arrest of his father ; 
but no attention being paid in the proper 
quarter, he subsequently enlisted under 
his banner, and carried arms against the 
crown until the fall of the traitor, when 
from his previous well-timed, though dis- 
regarded disclosure, he received full par- 
don for the past. 

Ayto Tunkaiye, a gigantic warrior, 
greatly distinguished for his valor, who 
enacted a prominent part in Medoko's ex- 
ecution, was also of the cortege ; and be- 
side him stood Hailoo, younger brother of 
the rebel noble, who purchased restoration 
to royal favor at the expense of a deed of 
the blackest treachery. This he recounted 
not only without a blush, but with extra- 
ordinary satisfaction at his fancied hero- 
ism. Apprehending a similar fate with 
him whose cause he had espoused, he fled 
across the border, and found a safe asylum 
with Wodage Girmee, a powerful Galla 
chieftain, long in open revolt, and one of 
the bitterest enemies of the monarch. 
Basely assassinating his benefactor, while 
seated unsuspectingly in the open field, he 
sprang upon his horse, and casting the 
head of his victim at the royal footstool in 
token of his villainy, was rewarded by ad- 
vancement to the government of Mesur 



154 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Medur, a post of high honor, which he en- 
joys to the present day, and which occupies 
the frontier of the Galla dependencies. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

MED&KO THE REBEL. 

" Like whom to Shoan eyes. 
None ere has risen, and none ere shall rise." 

Renowned for his great strength and 
dauntless heart, fcMuko was of a more 
robust and brawny forirv than most of his 
countrymen. There was ^ D old bearino- 
in his erect carriage — his gait ^ as proud 5 , 
and his speech haughty ; and not le^ d ex _ 
terous in the management of his ste^ 
than powerful in wielding his weapons, he 
stood proclaimed the most valiant, although 
the most insolent, of the Amhara. His 
handsome features and gallant deeds had 
gained for him the palm of favor among 
all the dames of the land. An aquiline 
nose stood prominent from his manly coun- 
tenance, and a bright eye sparkled clear 
and daring under a bushy brow. The 
fairest daughters of Shoa loved to look 
upon the warrior, and rejoiced to add their 
beauty to his harem, or to experience the 
gifts of his bountiful hand ; and the shrill 
note of female welcome burst from every 
throat, as he curveted through the streets 
upon his gallant charger shining in brass 
and steel, or careered at speed over the 
plain, with his white and crimson robe 
streaming behind his athletic frame. 

Riches, and honors, and preferments had 
been again liberally showered upon his 
head, by the monarch who had so fre- 
quently received the benefit of his assist- 
ance, and had been more than once in- 
debted for his life to the strong arm of the 
chief. The memory of past crime seemed 
to have been obliterated and forgotten. 

'• Had he not err'd, his glory had been less ;" 

and he was now raised to the high post of 
governor of all the Galla, and abogaz of 
the southern frontier of the kingdom. 

But there was no lack of enemies to the 
imperious favorite ; and among the most 
bitter of his opponents was one who, by the 
lying tongue of insidious malice, materi- 
ally contributed to achieve the downfall 
and destruction of the bravest son of Shoa. 

Well versed in all the petty arts of a 
mean and sycophantish court, Father As- 
rat had held during two successive reigns 
the snug office of a confessor to the royal 
family. Sleek from good liting, hij h od 



fell without a wrinkle over his portly per- 
son, and bowing in devetion before his 
superiors, the words of flattery flowed in 
profusion from his honied tongue. The 
sins of the rich were easily forgiven, and 
the substitute was immediately produced 
for the slight penance decreed by his lip ; 
and the effects of his indulgence might be 
clearly observed in the fine muslin which 
ever encircled his shaven head — in the 
glossy condition of his pampered mule — 
and in the gay ivory handles of his pol- 
ished crutch, which were displayed in os- 
tention, as he daily brushed through the 
court-yards of the palace. 

^ On many occasions, the audacity of Me- 
duko had broken out into open mockery 
of the priestly rapacity ; but although the 
dark feelings of revenge rankled in the 
^reast of the burly monk, yet the scowling 
look f hatred was alone "ventured in re- 
turn to the jibes of the great governor and 
hrst favorite of the despot. On one fatal 
festival, however, when the fumes of the 
old hydromel had gained a complete as- 
cendency over the party, a bitter jest was 
retor^d by the exasperated priest, a fierce 
p 1 "!^ a enslied ' and the hol y person of 
^ ilk * was violentl v spurned against 
the wall by tl« strong arm of the hot-blood- 
ed chief. 

A reconciliation^ been outwa rdly ef- 
fected by mutual frienj s . but from that J d 
the most wily insinuates were used to 
poison the breast of the kin, The actions 
of the past were vividly broug, t to recol . 
lection, words that had never bee* s po ken 
and expressions craftily distorted u serve ' 
a vile purpose, were daily poured into the 
royal ear ; and although the demeanor -yf 
the monarch remained unchanged, suspi- 
cion was gradually being instilled into his 
mind, and the cloud required but a slight 
pressure to discharge its contents. 

According to the custom of the country, 
the royal princesses lived in total seclusion 
until it suited the despot's caprice or policy 
to open the door of their cage. " A daugh- 
ter of the royal house will be led to the 
nuptial altar on the morrow," is the sole 
intimation afforded : and the happy bride- 
groom is not aware of the honor to be con- 
ferred, until the hand of the " introducer " 
leads him from the group which encircles 
the throne, to the immediate performance 
of the rite. But the stout-hearted Medoko 
had contrived to behold the beauty of the 
far-famed princess " Golden Fruit ;" and, 
intoxicated by a long succession of pros- 
perity, and stirred up by the deceitful priest 
to believe that the king would refuse no 
request preferred by a chief whose services 



MEDOKO THE REBEL. 



155 



were held in such high esteem, he rashly- 
resolved upon demanding the only remain- 
ing favor which the monarch had hitherto 
withheld. 

On a bright morning in May, before the 
commencement of the monsoon, a distin- 
guished cavalcade entered the outer gates 
of the palace fortifications. The stately 
person of the leader was enveloped in a 
flowing robe bedizened with many crimson 
stripes, and a long white feather streamed 
high over his raven hair. A gauntlet and 
bracelet of silver decorated his sinewy arm, 
the token of many a hard conflict ; and the 
massive silver sword flashed from his right 
side, the emblem of high authority and 
place. The bearer of his silver shield 
preserved a respectful space for the chief, 
and the dark war-steed, glittering in chains 
and studs of polished metal, followed neigh- 
ing at his side. A dense mass of wild, 
fiery Galla, armed with the serrated lanc^ 
and tough black buckler, closed the pro- 
cession, which, amid the acclam o<;j:ons °f 
the assembled mob, wound '-P the rocky 
path of the palace-hill of «-nk&ber. 

The great door wa" tnrown open at the 
last flight of step<ya<nd Medoko advanced 
to the audien^ of leave previous to his 
departure *o the seat of his government. 
The sma^l latticed gallery had been decked 
out in his honor, and the crimson velvet 
hangings of state depended in front, loaded 
with massive silver ornaments. Rich car- 
pets were spread below for the convenience 
of the more favored nobles. The officers 
of the household, uncovered to the waist, 
stood in a double row in front; and the 
monarch reclined upon his seat of honor at 
the open Window, gayly clad in a green 
silk vest bordered with gold, over which 
the folds of the usual white robe of Abys- 
sinia hung gracefully around his recum- 
bent figure. 

Advancing to the prescribed limit, Me- 
doko, according to the custom of ages, 
prostrated himself to the earth before the 
descendant of Solomon, and then, raising 
his haughty figure erect before the mon- 
arch, he boldly preferred the request of his 
heart. " Behold, I have brought a present 
to the king, that he may hear me in love, 
and dismiss his servant well pleased from 
his presence." 

Ten war steeds fully equipped, together 
with five hundred bullocks, twenty slaves, 
and two large bags of silver coin, were 
ushered into the court-yard. The eye of 
the avaricious king brightened with satis- 
faction at the liberal gift of his vassal, and 
the words were spoken more kindly than 
usual — " What is the desire of the abo* 
11* 



gaz ?" But the answer of daring rashness 
which followed fell like a thunderbolt upon 
the court — " The hand of the Princess 
Worka Ferri." 

The rod of green rushes dropped from 
the grasp of the astonished " introducer," 
and chiefs and nobles half rose from their 
seats, as the mysteries of royal seclusion 
were thus boldly infringed before the mul- 
titude. But although the monarch was 
irritated to the last pitch by this unprece- 
dented insolence, he restrained his feelings 
under the usual cold calm smile. " We 
will converse regarding this business at a 
future period," he said, and tie audience 
was closed with an invifc»**> n to the chief 
to pass his last evenins m the private apart- 
ments of the pai-oe— an honor conferred 
only upon p Avored few. 

"W> «nngs and advice were not wanting 
fr^in many quarters, and recollection called 
to mind many dark scenes which had been 
transacted at the friendly board of the des- 
pot, who was well known to be in a dan- 
gerous mood when too many smiles lighted 
up his countenance, and who preferred the 
quiet capture of his enemy to forcible seiz- 
ure in the open day . But the rash Medoko, 
confident in his own ascendency through 
service rendered, discarded every thought 
of evil. With a stout heart he entered the 
gloomy hall at the appointed hour, and un- 
der the guidance of a eunuch proceeded 
along the rough dark passages of the in- 
terior. 

On gaining the inner apartment he found 
Father Asrat and his assistant kneeling in 
the corner before their low desks, mum- 
bling the lessons of the evening from the 
miracles of the Holy Virgin — divers flasks 
of potent spirits being as usual ranged on 
the wicker table for the entertainment of 
the select company. All were in the high- 
est humor. The demeanor of the monarch 
was kind and conciliating ; and among the 
honors and favors which were that night 
liberally bestowed, the priest received the 
high office of chief of the church of the 
Saviour in the romantic village of Cherkos. 
The usual topics were discussed — the usu?* 
quantity of strong liquor swallowed- "\ 
at intervals the choristers chf»" ijte( j ., 

Psalms of David. The everv ' no - passed in 
great hilarity, and the co; ''» £ j h 
rose to depart. 

His heart bounding. hi h with future h 
Medoko stoops low to pay the sa i utat f on 
ot the nighty anf j was instantaneously pin- 
ioned iro; m behind, while a rush from the 
tront prevented every effort to lay hand 
Wl'on his weapon. By his fierce struggles 
ne once nearly regained an erect position. 



156 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



but numbers crowded through every pas- and strong gateways lead through well-de 



sage, and he lay stretched on the floor se' 
curely bound and hampered with many coils 
of rope. 

"Fetters and a dungeon for the slave !" 
exclaimed the monarch as he quitted the 
scene of betrayed hospitality, and guards 
entered to obey the royal mandate. But 
ere the captive could be borne to his doom, 
a heavy foot pressed upon his prostrate 
neck. The smile of satisfied revenge play- 
ed over the bloated features of the mali- 
cious monk, and it shot through the heart 
of the fallen warrior. A deadly vow was 
muttered bt*wi x t his clenched teeth ; and 
as he lay foaming with rage, the words 
were half audible tn* OU orh his suppressed 
breathing, " Let him gv, ar d his 'cowled 
head if he can : henceforth v» the Devil 
with my allegiance !" 



CHAPTER LIX. 

ESCAPE FROM GONCHO. 

Medoko had been hurried from the pres- 
ence, and urged along the rough road 
with as much rapidity as possible ; but 
people are seldom so unfortunate as they 
suppose themselves to be. His fate was 
not as yet accomplished, and a slight di- 
version had been already made in his fa- 
vor. A faithful follower, alarmed at the 
protracted stay of his chief, had silently 
stationed himself at the secret outlet of the 
palace, whence he witnessed the progress 
of his beloved master. A devoted band, 
hastily collected, followed close on the foot- 
steps of the guard ; and as the prisoner 
passed through the thick forest of Afer- 
beine, the shrill note of the Galla hench- 
man more than once fell on his attentive 
ear, to convey welcome tidings that he was 
not altogether deserted in this his hour of 
distress. 

- As the party climbed the rocky steep, 

the moon was fast sinking behind the 

^at mountains, and her pale beams fell 

^j *er the isolated rock of Goncho, on 
cold ov. - f of which ig percbed t j ie state 

the summu ki dom / Risi a lone 

PT T °tbP rrP,r % a serrated range, the 
peak on thee est. ^ » t and 

lower extremity ot ts , 

riven by the hand of tin^ and numerous 
Ravines clothed in brushwood dip deep mto 
its furrowed bosom, while the ^rc > craggy 
scarp is left towering high and b*acK .over 
- . ^ aa A\ nf * vaIIpvs which on .either 

far he- 



's "'&" **"" . , 

the wide-spreading valleys which on eithei 



side wind their tortuous course 

low. Sharp palisades guard the approach 



fended court-yards to a cluster of edifices 
which form the residence of the frontier 
governor, and the entrance to the places 
of confinement. 

Vanquished by fate, yet refusing to yield, 
a spasm of painful emotion covered with 
cold dew the brow of the haughty chief,, 
as his step passed the rocky threshold of 
the prison. But the thoughts of a free foot 
on the mountain-side and the signal ven- 
geance that would follow, banished from 
his stout heart the usual feelings of de- 
spair ; and in ironical words he returned 
the salutations of his brother abogaz, into 
whose keeping he was about to be con- 
signed. 

Wulasma Mohammad was a fat imperi- 
ous personage, of most sinister expression 
of countenance, and much more to be fear- 
ed than either loved or respected. The cool 
Wealthy air of his mountain fortress, and a 
quit* iif e f inactivity, had filled his veins 
with 3, i^h fl ow f blood, and he spent the 
greater pon~ n f the day over a jar of the 
potent hydromti. His body had become 
bloated, and his mVaj bewildered, by the 
fumes of the liquor ; aid dividing his time 
between dreaming and drinv m g. he left the 
charge of his bolts and avocations to his 
burly brother Jhalia, who, fortui^tely for 
the prisoner, was now engaged on tht fron- 
tier, quelling a disturbance which \iad 
been induced by the stupidity of his supe- 
rior. 

The vulture eye of the abogaz bright- 
ened up on the arrival of the illustrious 
Medoko ; and being at the moment unable 
to comprehend whether he came as a pris- 
oner or as a guest, an order for entertain- 
ment and wine rang through the apartment, 
instead of chains and fetters for the male- 
factor. Relieved from the ropes which had 
hitherto confined his movements, the chief 
was ushered with all ceremony into the 
great hall of the court ; nor was it until 
after reiterated requests on the part of the 
guard, and a solemn adjuration by the life 
of the king, that the blinking jailer, cheat- 
ed out of his expected carouse, consented 
to take some measures of precaution. 

Built on the only sloping face of the 
hill, the governor's nouses stretch entirely 
across the outlet, from scarp to scarp, and 
from his immediate bed-chamber two trap- 
doors cover the passages to the inner re- 
cesses of the prison. A staircase descends 
from one into the vaults under ground, 
where immured in chains are the state 
criminals, and the younger branches of the 
royal family ; and a passage leads through 
the other to a series of small apartments 



ESCAPE FROM THE DONJON ROCK. 



157 



erected upon the upper surface of the hill, 
but surrounded by strong- palisades to the 
very verge of the precipice. The scarp 
was of considerable height, and had never 
yet been attempted by those offenders 
whose lighter crimes had enforced a resi- 
dence in these more agreeable locations ; 
and the besotted wulasma being in no 
mood to reflect on the strength and daring 
-of his present charge, merely conducted 
him to one of these places of security, and 
barring the door on the outside, retired 
grumbling to the crown officials, after 
leaving an ample repast, with lights, for 
the entertainment of his distinguished pris- 
oner. 

The wax taper was flaming and sinking 
at intervals over the untouched food, as 
one quarter of an hour was passed in at- 
tentive musing ; but the peculiarities of 
the prisoner's situation were too striking 
not to be immediately taken advantage of, 
and he accordingly braced up his spirits for 
the enterprise. Having contrived with his 
host's knife to remove the thongs and sticks 
which composed the walls of his flimsy 
dungeon, he crept into an outward apart- 
ment, where the stars could be perceived 
twinkling brightly through an aperture. 
To wrench the iron bars from the window 
was the work of a moment ; and leaping 
from a considerable height, Medoko stood 
unshackled in the cool air of heaven. 
There remained still many hours of the 
night, and the darkness favored his under- 
taking, although little suited to the task 
to be performed ; but palisade and paling 
yielded to his strength and activity, and 
after an anxious hour of exertion, he reach- 
ed the dark precipice unnoticed and undis- 
covered. 

Nought broke the stillness of the scene 
save the sound of the wind whistling over 
the sharp crag's ; and as the daring fugi- 
tive stood for a time in meditation before 
venturing the awful leap, an owl, brushing 
his cheek, soared away on noiseless pin- 
ion ; the hoot which reechoed from below 
seeming as the voice of a spirit calling to 
follow without fear. Quickly recovering 
his confidence at the omen, and nerving 
himself for the perilous task, he slid down 
the face of the precipice, and recommend- 
ing his soul to the holy Virgin, quitted hold 
of the last tuft of grass which alone sus- 
tained him over the yawning gulf. Down, 
down dropped the chief, until his very 
senses reeled again ; but his flowing cot- 
ton robe materially assisted the miraculous 
descent, by catching the sharp points and 
restraining for a moment the rapidity of his 
flight. The strength of his long brawny 



arms served him well in this hour of need, 
as clutching the rocks he retained his hold 
for a second, in order to gain breath for the 
next dread plunge into the gloomy abyss. 
Then bounding again like the falling stone, 
he pursued his avalanche-like flight, till at 
length, bruised and bleeding, he reached 
the bottom of the rocky scarp, hitherto un- 
traversed except by the sticky foot of the 
lizard. 

The shrill note for assistance, well known 
to every Galla ear, was speedily answered 
by his watchful followers. Crowding round 
their beloved chief, they quickly bound up 
his wounds, and after a short rest the party 
recovered the beaten track. Placed once 
again on his own good steed, he raised his 
form in the stirrups, and shouted his bat- 
tle cry of defiance. Each bridle was laid 
loose upon the mane, and the wild riders 
plunged at speed down the flinty ravine, 
now partially illumined by the flash of the 
matchlocks from the alarmed garrison. A 
brave spirit is not to be subdued by exile, 
for every soil forms his home and his coun- 
try ; and away to the free plains of the 
Galla the headlong course was preserved, 
where Medoko was well assured of receiv- 
ing every sympathy and protection. 



CHAPTER LX. 

INSURRECTION OF THE GALLA. 

Tn the heart of the mountain range of 
Garra Gorphoo stood a large Galla hamlet 
— for it has been since visited in wrath by 
the monarch — situated in one of those 
sweet locations which the children of na- 
ture delight to select. The deep valley is 
thickly clothed with the most luxuriant cul- 
tivation, and its giant sides rise in a gentle 
slope, throwing out a succession of verdant 
terraces teeming with the herbs and flow- 
ers so well beloved by the pastoral tribe. 
On one of these stood the village of Mun- 
deeda, the residence of Goma, the great 
chief of the Abidchu. A bright green sward 
extended far in front, and the steep moun- 
tain that rises behind afforded shelter from 
the bleak blast of winter. A sparkling 
brook, ever dashing in tiny cascades down 
the craggy face, glides away in a quiet 
course over the enamelled meadow, until 
lost in the grove of dark junipers which 
rest on the side of a grassy knoll, where 
the sacrifice was performed in honor of the 
deities, and where the listless heathen was 
wont to dream away the hours of idleness. 

The tenements, although low and rudely 



158 



F ETHIOPIA. 



Constructed of stakes and mud. were warm 
and commodious ; and the numerous posts 
which rose from the clay floor to support 
the thatch, served as a resting-place for 
shields and spears and swords, which had 
imparted to the interior the semblance of 
an extensive armory. Everything was in 
a state of utter confusion and uproar. 
Large droves of wild shaggy horses and 
clusters of fiery savages were grouped on 
the plain outside. The ringing shout of 
the warrior mingled with the neigh of Ms 
war steed, and the din and the clatter of 
household avocations resounded from the 
interior of every hut. To add to the bus- 
tle, the Galla females were running from 
house to house with their long raven tresses 
streaming over their bare shoulders ; while 
their short leather petticoats, with embroid- 
ered flounces, displayed the well-shaped 
limbs and the graceful form, for which the 
tribe are so justly famed. 

In every nook large earthen jars, and 
wicker baskets filled with grain, were 
stored in readiness to supply the demands 
for food, as each tribe poured in to the gen- 
eral gathering of the clans. Black eyes 
peered wildly over the grinding-mill and 
the cauldron ; and the merry laugh at the 
novel appearance of the motley throng, with 
the suppressed scream of delight from the 
timid maiden, arose frequently from the 
dark corners of the hovels. Preparations 
were making for hospitality on the most 
extensive scale. A successful foray had 
that very morning returned laden with 
spoil, and the king of the Amhara had for 
once amply supplied the table of his revolt- 
ed lieges. 

Crowded around the cheerful blaze of a 
fierce fire that was crackling in the centre 
of the largest building, sat a score of per- 
sons, who were beguiling the time until 
the entertainment should be ready, by dis- 
cussing the daring escape of Medoko, and 
the success which would assuredly attend 
the movement of the morrow. The dress 
of the greater number of these men was 
the usual cotton cloth, black and soiled 
with the grease of years ; but the accu- 
mulated massive ivory rings upon the arm, 
the ostrich foather floating over the mat- 
ted locks white with a crust of mutton 
suet, and the spoils of the lion and the 
leopard dangling over the back, proclaimed 
the presence of the chieftains of the land. 
Their gaunt frames and supple limbs be- 
tokened a life of activity and endurance, 
and their restless eyes gleamed over the 
fire with all the quick suspicion of the 
savage. 

The black bull hide formed the only 



covering to the host of attendants thai 
thronged behind their respective lords, and 
a few Amhara robes flaunted in white and 
crimson, amid the sombre vestments of the 
Galla group. But Medoko and his sons, 
towering in stature above all their com- 
peers, appeared in the full costume of the 
Christian warriors of Efat. 

Decked in silver gauntlets and armlets, 
with the graceful akodama hanging in glit- 
tering clusters over their manly brows, the 
master spirits of the scene were easily to be 
distinguished. The usual robe of peace had 
been well replaced by the skin of the taw- 
ny lion, which nearly reached the ground. 
Fastended on one side around the sinewy 
throat, it allowed full freedom to the right 
arm, and only partially concealed the rich 
silk vest fitting lightly over the form, and 
the loose kilt-like trowsers which hung 
barely to the knee. 

The kindling fuel of insurrection had 
indeed been well fanned — ancient wrongs 
were fully brought to mind, and vengeance 
was liberally promised. Few were there 
present who had not suffered either in per- 
son or in property, from the midnight ap- 
pearance of the Christian despot. Hered- 
itary feud and quarrel had therefore been 
laid aside on the soul-inspiring words of 
the chief, and the weapons been eagerly 
seized in a common cause, at the thoughts 
of the devastation which had ever marked 
the bloody track of the Amhara host. 

These Galla tribes dwell with their 
horses in boundless prairies, engaged, 
some in the cultivation of the fruitful soil, 
and others in the pasturage of their nu- 
merous flocks, but all are ever ready on 
the moment to mount for the battle or the 
foray. Baggage and hospital are unknow T n 
to the wild array, and rations are found 
when required among the plundered herds 
of the enemy. A scrip of tobacco forms 
the only luxury in camp. A greasy cloth 
infolds by day and night the body of each 
stalwart savage. Lance and sword and 
shield complete his equipment; and the 
hardy host, leader and partisan, sleep with- 
out cover on the cold bare ground. 

The wild hordes from the boundless 
plains of the Hawash, under the gigantic 
Wodage Girme, first poured in their war- 
riors. The depths of the Moolo Falada 
forests next swelled the numbers, and the 
heights of Entotto and Sequala had com- 
pleted the rebel force, eager for spoil and 
for revenge, which was ready to cover the 
land with desolation on the morrow. 

The sacrifice to the Great Spirit had 
been that afternoon performed by the priest 
with every favorable result, and the prepa 



FEAST OF THE WARRIORS. 



159 



rations for the feast of departure were 
now completed. Bullocks and sheep were 
slaughtered by the score on the green 
meadow, and beside each carcass an abun- 
dance of bread and beer were deposited 
for the impatient guests, who immediately 
grouped around the food, and with keen 
knives commenced the attack. A long 
wicker table had been placed in the centre 
of the largest apartment, and deep earthen 
vessels, filled with thick pepper soup, were 
ranged in double line down the middle, 
while cakes of every description thickly 
covered the surface. The chief took his 
station at the top, and the guests were 
squatted on their hams on either side. 
Slave boys, on their kness, supported huge 
.jars of sour beer, and the females, perched 
upon adjoining bedsteads, were ready to 
dole out the more potent liquor. 

The steam of the bowls, containing a 
decoction of fowls, red pepper, onions, and 
grease, together with the more offensive 
effluvia from fifty rancied heads and as 
many unwashed persons, were endured 
with the most stoical indifference ; and the 
feeble light of a few tapers that gleamed 
faintly through the smoke, was just suffi- 
cient to reveal the rows of eager faces in 
earnest preparation, and the gleam of the 
sharp teeth whetting for the entertainment. 

The hum of voices in low conversation 
ceased on the moment, when the host, dip- 
ping a fragment of bread into one of the 
large bowls, dropped the savory morsel 
into his elevated mouth. Every h.?^d 
forthwith felt its way to the proven^? and 
the loud smacking of satisfied iips succeed- 
ed the suppressed chatter ot tongues. Ser- 
vants, bending over the guests, amply sup- 
plied their wants, by tearing the bread with 
their hands, and after a dip and a plunge 
into the greasy porridge, consigning the 
dripping morsel to the first empty fingers 
that were protruded. No fork or spoon 
graced the festive board. No conversation 
now enlivened the scene. All sat like 
silent wolves engaged in a plentiful repast, 
considering that one thing at a time was 
sufficient for all men. 

The delicate raw meat was next intro- 
duced, and the dismembered limbs of sheep 
and oxen were placed as a dessert upon 
the groaning board. The servants threw 
themselves upon the flesh, and, drawing 
their long crooked knives from their gir- 
. dies, cut and hacked the bloody joints into 
small squares, which were received from 
the fingers, and bolted with the greatest 
satisfaction, until nature cried enough. 
Then commenced the deep carouse. Horn 
after horn was drained. The presiding 



deities over the liquor jars were unceas- 
ingly employed in serving out their con- 
tents, and as the brain reeled under the 
influence of strong old mead, the words 
of contempt burst from every lip. " Who 
is the King of Shoa, that he should tram- 
ple upon men braver than himself? Here 
is our protector and avenger. Medoko is 
our leader, and he alone shall be our 
king !" But the uproar, which for a time 
rose wildly from the hut, gradually died 
away as the horn was carried with un- 
steady hand to the mouth. Warrior after 
warrior stretched himself to sleep beside 
the cleanly picked relics of his reeking 
feast ; and chief after chief, staggering a 
few paces from the table, rolled his head 
among the folds of his greasy cloth, and 
resigned himself to a heavy slumber. 



CHAPTER LXI. 

MASSACRE OF THE CHRISTIANS AT CHERKOS. 

The verdant meadows of the Shoan 
district of Daggee are strangely broken 
and intersected by low chains of barren 
rock, with here and there an isolated hil- 
lock crowned by the abode of the Chris- 
tian farmer; while between each little 
eminence rolls the lazy brook, winding 
sluggishly over the flowery plain, as if 
reserving its energies for the thundering 
leap into the great chasm of the Chacha. 
Broken, craggy, and desolate, this mighty 
abyss sinks upward of a thousand feet 
abruptly from the plain. Its giant sides 
are in parts slightly fringed with delicate 
moss or sweet-scented thyme. A few 
small huts dot the scanty terraces which 
have been raised during the heaving throes 
of its production ; but the wolf and the 
hyena chiefly tenant the dark caves and 
slippery fissures, while the vulture screams 
her death note over the yawning gulf. Su- 
perstition has wrapped the beetling cliff 
and the gloomy ravine in her dark embrace, 
for here the captive toils in the bowels of 
the earth to procure the stubborn iron. 
The clang of the dreaded smith disturbs 
the stillness of day, and the chant of the 
hymn rises solemnly in the morning mist 
from the adjacent church of the Saviour, 
which stands embosomed in a dark grove 
of junipers. Far down in the bottom the 
Chacha appears like the small murmuring 
mill-stream, although the accumulated 
waters of a broad plateau are there rolling 
in mad fury, to yield their tribute to the 
mighty Nile ; and at frequent intervals the 



160 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



mountain torrents dash in wild spume over 
the frowning scarp which for miles, in one 
uninterrupted precipice, forms the impreg- 
nable fortification of the land. 

Near the commencement of this fantas- 
tic shaft, and barely a gunshot from its 
brink, stands Angollala, the rising capital 
of the kingdom, and the great outpost of 
defence to the upper pass into the Chris- 
tian land. Three" small hills which rise 
abruptly from the verdant plain, and in- 
close a circular area, had been judiciously 
selected as a site by the wary founder, but 
the settlement was at this date in all the 
disorder of infancy. Only a few hundred 
hovels, composed of most flimsy materials, 
had been hastily erected on the sloping 
sides of two of the hillocks ; but the small- 
est was distinguished by the more impo- 
sing edifice dedicated as a church to the 
Ark of the Holy Covenant, and its table 
summit was crowned with an ample resi- 
dence for the negoos. 

A few trees raised their stunted heads 
to the cold bleak wind above the thatch of 
the various kitchens and storehouses, 
which were crowded thick over the crest, 
and a deep belt of the flowering umbdr 
threw a zone of fragrant lilac blossoms 
around the royal buildings. Stones and 
rocks, strewed plentifully in every direc- 
tion by the hand of nature, formed a con- 
siderable impediment to the rapid advance 
of horsemen; and stoat heavy wooden pa- 
lings, which descended in a double or treble 
row far down the slope, completely screen- 
ed the royal inmates against any sudden 
surprise from the border foe. 

A wide meadow stretches from the pal- 
ace tumulus to the very brink of the abyss ; 
and on the opposite height is situated the 
lovely village of Cherkos, which, from its 
beauty, had been formerly designated by 
the Galla " The Queen of the Hill." 
Sheltered by a magnificent grove of ever- 
greens, the hamlet overlooked the pleas- 
ant slope which extends to the verge of 
the precipice, gayly diversified with rich 
fields of cultivation and plots of green 
pasture land. It had been captured from 
the heathen by the last king of Shoa ; and 
although colonized by favorite Christians 
of the court, the revenues were bestowed 
upon the church of the Saviour, which had 
been erected immediately below the village 
in the dark depths of the Chacha ravine, 
and which was now under the direction 
and guidance of Father Asrat. 

The hazy sun had sunk beyond the dark 
waters of the muddy Nile ; the rivulets 
were trickling in discolored streams from 
the surrounding hillocks to form a tempo- 



rary lake in the inclosed amphitheatre, and 
each reeking thatch sent up its quota to 
the cloud of thick mist, which was fast 
settling over the low hills of Angollala. 
The meadow brooks were swollen to the 
brim, and the long plains, brilliant with 
verdure, presented a pleasing prospect to 
the eye, although a most treacherous sur- 
face to the incautious foot. The monsoon 
was indeed raging in violence over the 
land ; and according to custom, the mon- 
arch, thinly attended by his household of- 
ficers and establishment, alone occupied 
the palace. All the governors and great 
men had taken leave and departed to their 
respective provinces, the capital was well 
nigh deserted, and as night closed in, the 
few remaining serf inhabitants were seek- 
ing a dry corner in their frail huts to shiv- 
er through the weary hours of darkness. 

As the moan of the wind is heard pre- 
ceding the coming storm, so the hum of a 
confused multitude first struck upon the 
practiced ear of the vigilant. The alarm 
was quickly spread by the fierce baying of 
the dogs. The chant of the singer sud- 
denly ceased within the palace, and the 
king followed by all the attendants rushed 
to the southern palisado. Then came dis- 
tinctly to every heart the dash of the horse 
at speed, clattering over the opposite heights 
above the Chacha, as the pagan host sur- 
rounded the devoted hamlet of Cherkos. 
The glare of light and the faint wreath of 
smoke next succeeded, as the torch spread 
frorn hut to hut. The wind blew cold and 
gusty, -and the flames wheeling in fearful 
eddies through the mist, revealed at inter- 
vals the cliff and the crag, and the peace- 
ful church reposing amid the dark grove of 
junipers hitherto unpolluted by the foot of 
the gentile. 

The wild shout of triumph, mingling 
with the shrill shriek of despair, now rolled 
in fitful notes across the intervening plain. 
The whole firmament was at length illu- 
mined by one fierce blaze of light, and the 
conflagration was witnessed in terror by 
the assembled inmates of the palace ; for 
the sacred precincts of the church itself had 
been now invaded, and a group of priests 
in their last extremity could be distinctly 
seen, surrounded by a mass of the savage 
foe. But the next eddy of mist from the 
boiling cauldron between, shrouded the 
scene from sight. The priest Asrat shud- 
dered at the thoughts of his narrow escape, 
for he had only that morning quitted the 
sacred shelter. But the eyeball was in vain 
strained to see what was passing. Dark- 
ness rendered its efforts abortive. By de- 
grees the flame expired, and one horrid 



THE BATTLE, AND ROUT OF THE REBELS. 



161 



shout of exultation from ten thousand wild 
throats rose over hill and dale, in earnest 
that the work of slaughter had been well 
finished for that night, and that numbers 
were not wanting for the morrow. 

Hurry and confusion reigned throughout 
the capital. The king was advised to avail 
himself of the protection of darkness, and 
retire to Ankober ; but his evening dream 
had been pleasant, and he was buoyed up 
by the words of the strong monk. " Shall 
I leave my children in the day of their dis- 
tress," he exclaimed, " and the seat of my 
fathers to be polluted by the accursed touch 
of the rebel ? No ; death is preferable to 
such disgrace." The royal gates opened 
to receive the terrified inhabitants, who 
came flocking up the hill. Every match- 
lock was lowered from the walls of the 
great hall, and distributed among the young 
and able-bodied. Doors were barred and 
barricaded, and sufficient means of defence 
for a time seemed to have miraculously 
sprung from the untenanted location. 

The pens of the scribes were now wield- 
ed with vigor ; and as each tiny letter, or 
token, or entreaty, was handed for approval, 
the wild horseman mounted on the moment, 
and his long hair streamed in the night 
breeze, as, floundering through the muddy 
outlet, he dashed at speed over the eastern 
plain. 

The pressing call for aid flew quick 
through the land. The love and fear of 
the king brought governor and vassal to 
the rescue ; and as hatred of the rebel's 
insolence even stimulated the dull spirits to 
action, long ere the cock had first an- 
nounced the advance of morning, nume- 
rous bands from the immediate vicinity had 
assembled on the meadow, a living barrier 
between the beleaguered monarch and his 
stern foe. 



CHAPTER LXII. 

BATTLE OF ANGOLLALA. 

The day dawned, but there remained 
nothing of the late beautiful village of 
Cherkos. Death and desolation had spread 
to the very gates of the capital, and the 
rocky ridge was covered with a dark mass 
of the Galla host. But the plains were too 
miry to support the weight of man and 
horse; and after an ineffectual attempt 
from one or two small parties, the cloud ot 
war, with the bright lances flashing from 
its dark bosom, settled again upon the 
scene of slaughter. 

Frightful indeed was the sight which met 



the gaze of the Amhara, as they took their 
position in front of the plundered village on 
the frowning scarp of the ravine. The op- 
posite crags were studded with the mangled 
bodies of their murdered compatriots. Men, 
women, and children had been ruthlessly 
sacrificed, and the thousand favored inhab- 
itants of a pleasant abode now lay stark 
and weltering among the rocks, where the 
strength of the fierce pagan had hurled 
them. The heaving of an arm here and 
there, evinced that the spark of life still 
remained in some ; but the chasm was im- 
passable to the foot of man, and the wolf 
and hyena lay undisturbed, gorged and 
glutted after their reeking festival. 

The sun shone brightly for the few days 
following the appearance of the heathen 
host, and the surface of the muddy meadow 
had recovered its wonted consistency. 
Both parties were anxious for the combat 
which was to decide the question of su- 
premacy, for both were equally hard-press- 
ed for the means of subsistence. With 
their usual reckless indifference to the fu- 
ture, the Galla had wasted the country, 
and rioted in the destruction. The sup- 
plies brought to the royal camp were nearly 
exhausted ; and the king also, galled by 
the presence of the rebellious army within 
sight of his capital, and having now suc- 
ceeded in assembling a much superior force, 
resolved upon giving battle on the morrow. 

Prayers and psalms had been recited the 
livelong night — vows were made at every 
shrine in the kingdom — and the ark of the 
cathedral of St. Michael had been trans- 
ported from Ankober under a canopy of 
red cloth, to shed its holy influence over 
the Christian army. At an early hour the 
king, under the shade of the velvet um- 
brellas, surrounded by his chiefs, nobles, 
and high priests, and preceded by kettle- 
drums and wind instruments, issued from 
the palace gateway, and with his band of 
matchlockmen, took up a position about a 
mile from the town. 

During the night, detachments had been 
steadily moving from every direction to 
this fixed point. Column after column 
streamed through the valley, or rolled down 
the sloping hih • and as the day dawned, 
the warriors of Amhara formed a deep line 
of horse and foot on either side of the 
monarch, one narrow plain and the river 
Chacha alone separating them from the 
enemy. Nor were the Galla in any way 
slow to take their station, bristling in a 
dark front along the opposite ridge, where 
the tall figure of the rebel was distinctly to 
be observed marshalling his wild forces for 
the coming fray. 



162 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



The battle commenced by repeated dis- 
charges from the king's gunmen ; but the 
distance was too great for execution, and 
a shout of derision answered each impotent 
volley. The gigantic Tunkaiye first press- 
ed forward to the close encounter, and the 
cavaliers of Shoa were not slow in follow- 
ing his example, for many fought under the 
eyes of their wives and children, all for the 
honor of the king and the glory of true re- 
ligion ; and the number of their lances 
fearfully exceeded those in the opposing 
ranks. 

Impetuous in the assault, the pagan host 
came down like the rushing blast, and the 
stones flew far under the clatter of their 
hoofs. But the} r were fiercely met by the 
long-bladed spears of the Amhara, and 
every inch of ground was for once stoutly 
contested. The roar of the foaming cata- 
ract, which thundered down within fifty 
yards of the battle-field, was lost in the 
hoarse yells which rung through the air. 
The rocky bed proved for a time the scene 
of slaughter, and the turbid waters receiving 
numbers of dying and wounded wretches, 
hurried them to eternity. At length, 
each individual singling out his foe, the 
contest assumed the confused appearance 
of a chance medley. The long lance met 
with little opposition from the cotton robe ; 
and, deprived of other weapons, Christian 
and Galla, grappling stoutly together, 
fought with sword and knife, and in the 
fury of the moment, and in the excitement 
of the struggle, many rolled over the 
frowning scarp, clinging tightly together 
in the last embrace of death. 

Medoko and his gallant sons were 
everywhere in the thickest of the fight. 
His shout, rising high over the storm, 
animated the faint-hearted, and his pres- 
ence roused to new life and exertion the 
successful partisan. Many of the Amhara 
bands were already reeling- from the re- 
peated shock of the wild riders of the Ha- 
wash, when suddenly, in the very heat of 
the action, a large body of warriors, clothed 
in black mantles, and armed with long 
heavy spears, rushed down the hill on 
foot, and, prostrating themselves as +Ley 
passed the royal umbrellas, descended 
fresh into the arena. The fierce inhabit- 
ants of Mans had sped to the rescue from 
the hereditary estates, and their savage 
ferocity and reckless bravery was well 
known throughout the land. The rela- 
tions and the household retainers of the 
rebel attempted to breast the storm, but 
they were scattered like autumnal leaves 
before the angry blast ; and the chief ar- 
rived to the succor only to behold the spot 



j strewed with the bodies 01 numbers of his 
stoutest partisans, and to witness his be- 
I loved son, the youthful Hailoo, sink before 
I his eyes, transfixed by a dozen spear- 
blades. A panic seized the pagans ; and, 
I dismayed and broken-hearted, the host fled 
! tumultuously in every direction. 

In vain Medoko performed the most in- 
credible acts of valor — his voice had now 
lost its charm ; and, crippled by a spear 
which had penetrated his shoulder — his 
proud heart swelling with indignation — he 
at length perceived that the fortune of the 
day was not to be retrieved. Cutting his 
way single-handed through the squadrons 
of the enemy, he also gave the loose rein 
to his horse, and scoured over the hills. 

The sun had reached the meridian when 
the hot pursuit commenced, and the arm 
of vengeance was not stayed until long 
after his sinking below the western hori- 
zon. Every Amhara spear was dripping 
in blood to the haft. The stain of gore 
was on every cheek, and as the weary 
warrior returned from the massacre, the 
chest of his jaded war-steed was orna- 
mented with the cloth of the accursed 
gentile, whose body he had left to the 
fangs of the wild beast. 

After galloping for some miles along 
with the few chiefs who had escaped from 
the fatal field, a short halt was allowed to 
refresh the horses, and Medoko proclaimed 
his intention of accompanying the party- 
no farther. Asylum and assistance were 
in vain offered ; the stout heart of the 
rebel had been quelled in the late heavy 
loss he had sustained, and for a time at 
least, he bowed to the power of the mon- 
| arch of Shoa. Short was the moment al- 
lowed for the explanation, for the pursuer 
was hotly crossing the last range of hills, 
and the band, after a hurried parting and a 
hope for better days, mounted and pressed 
forward. 

Medoko and his surviving son Chara, 
now commenced the more difficult under- 
taking of threading- their path back again 
among the advancing Amhara ; but the 
perfect knowledge of the localities enabled 
them to take advantage of every hill and 
hollow. After many weary hours of anx- 
iety they passed the capital undiscovered, 
and urging their horses to speed took the 
road to Ankober. The Bereza was roaring 
from bank to brae, but the gallant steeds 
successfully breasted the rushing waters. 
The king's watchmen had left their cold 
posts, in order to take shelter from the cut- 
ting blast, before the riders swept down the 
rocky defile of the Chaka, toward the wood- 
ed Sides of Mann at , and long ere the voice 



ASSASSINATION OF MEDOKO. 



163 



of the brotherhood had risen in the matin 
chant, the rebels had been formally admit- 
ted to sanctuary, and were safely reposing 
in the sacred monastery of Affaf Woira. 



CHAPTER LXII1. 

TRAGIC END OF MEDOKO. 

Breaking suddenly through the tangled 
underwood which springs luxuriantly 
among the dense forest, at the foot of the 
great mountain range, an open glade is dis- 
closed to view, with the tall juniper trees 
rising unencumbered from the emerald turf. 
The church of Affaf Woira and the tene- 
ment of Abba Salama, its superior, stand 
inclosed by a rough stone wall, and indi- 
vidual huts are scattered in clusters over 
a gentle eminence which rises on the steep 
side of the river, where the indolent bro- 
thers, 

" Under the shade of melancholy boughs, 
Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time." 

An air of the most perfect repose usual- 
ly pervades the scene. The inmates are 
alike indifferent to the blast of winter and 
to the cares of life. Majestic trees tower 
high overhead, yielding undisturbed protec- 
tion to the vulture and the white Ibis. The 
" monk of the wood," the Gureza ape, there 
displays his variegated coat, floating in 
peace among the mossy branches ; and 
while everv v -eath from beneath wafts up 
the ^.xtimed air, the lazy monk of the 
monastery during the entire day basks in 
the sun amid the bright flowers of nature's 
growth, gazing in apathy on the sparkling 
stream which steals through the forest, half 
hid in a fringe of the willow and the bam- 
boo. 

But bustle and confusion for once dis- 
turbed this dreamy repose. The priests 
had been engaged in noisy choir, and the 
sacred drum had resounded since dawn of 
day. At length the portals of the hallowed 
edifice were thrown open, and the holy pro- 
cession, under the thundering chorus of an 
Abyssinian psalm, streamed over the bright 
green sward. The gay umbrellas of the 
church, rich in satin and silver, led the van, 
and the corpulent superior in his white cot- 
ton robes followed the insignia, bestriding 
a sleek mule decked in metal chains and 
tinkling bells. At his side marched the 
bearers of the straight falchions, sheathed 
in scabbards of polished silver. A band of 
priests followed, with their heads swathed 
in folds of white cloth, and their persons 
wrapped in black woollen cloaks, profusely 



studded with blood-red crosses and other 
emblems of Christianity ; and closing the 
procession strode two hundred stout dirty 
monks, clothed in the skin of the wild an- 
telope, with their shaven heads enveloped 
in dark greasy cloths, each carrying in his 
hand a small iron cross, and each joining 
the tribute of his lusty throat to the deaf- 
ening chant. Dell and dingle rung again 
as the psalm increased in violence, and the 
cavalcade, threading the intricacies of the 
wood, proceeded on its mission of mercy, 
to implore pardon for the rebel who had 
thrown himself on the protection of the 
monastery. 

The conference with the monarch was 
long and stormy. The royal vengeance 
was far from being appeased, but feelings 
of revenge were restrained by his fear of 
the church, and more particularly so at the 
present juncture, when religious disputes 
regarding the two natures of Christ were 
beginning to excite an unusual ferment in 
many parts of the kingdom. An unwilling 
pardon was at length extorted on the se- 
curity of the petitioning band, and the tri- 
umphant monks returned amid the joyful 
acclamations of the female inhabitants of 
Shoa, whose shrill voices are raised on 
every possible occasion, and whose feelings 
were in the present instance enlisted in the 
behalf of their old favorite. The trip also 
would appear to have been profitable to the 
holy fathers, for it was currently reported 
that one-half of the remaining wealth of 
Medoko, was the stipulated price to be paid 
for the monastic intercession. 

The nature of Abyssinian feelings, and 
the custom of the land, alike impel the 
humbled grandee to tempt again the slip- 
pery ladder of power ; and disgraced for a 
time, the courtier, bending his neck to the 
misfortune, dances attendance on his ca- 
pricious master until fickle fortune again 
smiles upon his fallen condition. Unless 
enjoying the favor of the monarch and 
basking in the sunshine of the court, he is 
held of no account whatever ; and the quiet 
retirement of country life is alike despised 
and detested by a race, who are not only 
ignorant of its pleasures, but who possess 
neither amusements nor intellectual re- 
sources. 

The property and estates of Medoko had 
not been confiscated, and months rolled 
quietly along, as day after day he took his 
station among the courtiers in waiting ; 
but the eye of the monarch was turned in 
cold indifference upon his former favorite ; 
and there were not wanting counsellors to 
whisper deeds of blood into his ear. Be- 
sides the father confessor, the haughty 



164 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA 



chief had many other enemies, who were 
chafed at the sight of the numerous band 
of well-equipped followers, that Medoko 
still entertained upon his ample means. 
Many also had lost relations during the 
rebellion ; and misfortune had not abated 
one atom of the imperious demeanor which 
ever characterized the chief. 

The feast of Maskal was now approach- 
ing ; and it being rumored that honors and 
government were to be again bestowed 
upon " the murderer of the Amhara," as 
the rebel was denominated among the con- 
spiring band, measures were taken to coun- 
teract the royal intention, if such had been 
really entertained. The most odious cal- 
umnies were industriously circulated ; 
fresh accusations of disloyalty were daily 
carried to the palace ; and the monarch, 
hourly assailed on every side, at length 
resolved to test the feelings of his vassal, 
by the offer of an inferior post in the un- 
healthy country of Giddem. 

For the last time, the gallant chief at 
the head of his followers, swept up the 
palace hill of Angollala ; and leaving, ac- 
cording to the etiquette, his son Chara, 
together with his retainers, in the middle 
court-yard, where shields and spears must 
be deposited, Medoko crossed the inclo- 
sure, and alone and unattended entered the 
inner wicket. 

On the several faces of the inner square 
are the entrances to the principal buildings 
of the palace. The great hall of enter- 
tainment on one side, faces the king's sta- 
bles on the other ; and the artificer's work- 
shops stand opposite the balcony of justice ; 
but all are connected by stone walls and 
stout palisades, through which private 
wickets lead to the interior apartments. 
His majesty had not yet taken his seat in 
public ; but the usual throng of people 
were lounging about the yard, or seated on 
the rough bedsteads which line one corner 
for the convenience of the great. 

Medoko had hardly taken his solitary 
seat, when wreathed in smiles the father 
confessor approached his victim, and whis- 
pering into his ear the intentions of the 
king, strongly advised him to reject the 
proposal with scorn; and presently the 
four conspiring chiefs advanced from the 
interior, bearing the royal preferment to 
the country which was so thoroughly de- 
tested, and which had been hitherto offered 
only to men of low degree. 

The royal presentation, although receiv- 
ed with the impatient curl of the lip, and 
an indignant breathing from the distended 
nostril, was declined in courteous terms — 
" The slave of the king desires only to be 



near the person of his master." But far 
different was the insolent answer carried 
back to the monarch, whose superstitious 
feelings were further irritated by the pre- 
vious discourse and forebodings of the 
monk ; for a black bullock had been dis- 
covered lying dead at the threshold of the 
gateway, portending that on that day an 
untimely fate awaited some one within the 
royal precincts. 

For a time no word escaped the moody 
lip of the monarch. His features remain- 
ed fixed and still ; but a withering glance 
from his solitary eye shot over the band, 
as he dismissed them from his presence 
with the cutting remark, " That they 
were all traitors alike, and lazy cravens 
to boot." 

The hint was sufficient to Guffa Woo- 
sen, the deck agafari, a man who stickled 
at no atrocity to gratify his master and to 
serve his own ends. After a hurried and 
mysterious consultation with six others 
equally unprincipled as himself, they pro- 
ceeded together into the outer court-yard. 
Approaching by degrees, the band sur- 
rounded the bed of the chief, who was lull- 
ed into fatal security by a message that 
the king was about to appear to receive in 
person the refusal of office in Giddem ; 
and while bandying a joke about the frail 
tenure of the dungeons of Goncho, five 
long-bladed knives were suddenly sheathed 
to the hilt in his brawny back. 

Undaunted to the death, Medoko reared 
himself with difficulty frou Ms couch, and 
his good sword flashed instantaneously 
from the scabbard. He had been unwarily 
caught in the toils ; but, like the wounded 
lion, he stood fiercely to bay, and some of 
the hunters paid dearly for their treache- 
rous sport. In the hour of battle his sword 
seldom required a second blow, and as the 
trenchant blade now fiercely descended in- 
to the neck of the chief conspirator, the 
head of Guffa Woosen for a moment 
drooped upon his shoulder, and in the next 
his lifeless trunk fell heavily to the ground. 
Again the ruddy steel gleamed overhead, 
but the energy was fast fleeting from the 
stout sinew, and Selunko, although marked 
for life with a desperate slash over the 
face, succeeded, with the remnant of his 
cowardly ruffians, in basely escaping from 
the scene. A general rush and scramble 
now ensued for the tops of the walls and 
houses ; and from these ~Wated places of 
security, savage yells proclaimed the per- 
petration of the dastardly deed. The king 
seized a double-barrelled gun from the 
wall, lest the mighty warrior should at- 
tempt to storm the harem; and a high 



THE MIGHTY FALLEN. 



165 






tribute was paid to the single arm which 
had thus cleared the court. 

Desperately wounded, the chief now 
staggered across the yard, fainting and 
falling more than once ere he reached the 
gateway. No doorkeeper remained to dis- 
pute the egress, and as yet none dared to 
cross the path of the stricken brave. One 
little inclosure alone separated him from 
his devoted followers, but his strength was 
fast sinking with the welling blood, and 
after swaying for a time from side to side, 
utterly exhausted he fell, with a groan, 
upon his knee, in the last pangs of death. 

Tunkaiye, the great bulwark of the 
throne, was the first who recovered from 
the panic, and cautiously advancing with 
the chosen of the Amhara chivalry, he be- 
held through the wicket the situation of 
the chief. Rushing through the door, he 
dealt a blow from behind on the neck of 
the recumbent figure, and the stalwart 
frame sunk to rise no more. One faint 
struggle of the right arm was alone to be 
distinguished, and one word was indistinct- 
ly murmured amid the gurgling of the flow- 
ing blood ; for the long knives of the assas- 
sins had penetrated into a brave heart, and 
the victory over the king's enemy had been 
already achieved. 

Crowds now rushed \.o the spot, and the 
limbs were hacked to pieces by the mis- 
erable poltroons amid the coarsest ribaldry 
and mirth. One wretch, as he thrust his 
crooked knife into the late brilliant eye, 
exclaimed, " How is it that my father now 
bears the bite without power to brush away 
the gnat ?" and another, after succeeding 
with difficulty in hewing through the iron 
muscles of the stout arm, declared, with a 
laugh, that " the skin of an elephant was 
composed of less tough material." 

Deprived of their weapons, and of the 
countenance of the mighty fallen, Medoko's 
son and followers surrendered on the first 
summons ; and a dog, carrying off his 
father's arm, brushed past young Chara 
as he entered the murderous court-yard. 
Stones and sticks were still being expend- 
ed on the remains of mortality which were 
strewed in every direction. All human 
resemblance had already been entirely ef- 
faced, and a deep pool of blood remained to 
mark the dire tragedy. 

To this hour the stain is settled upon 
the spot ; and it is daily before the eyes of 
the pepetrators of the outrage. The stern 
warrior is never mentioned within the pre- 
cincts of the palace, and rich offerings are 
continually made to all the churches in the 
land, to dissipate the unpleasant dreams 
which too frequently haunt the royal couch. 



But although the name is now used among 
the Amhara only to still the unruly child, 
the gallant Medoko is the darling theme of 
the roving Galla. The heathen female 
still draws the long tress across her flash- 
ing eye at the recollection of his fate ; and 
the chief yet thinks with respect of the 
brave spirit, who could quell the feud and 
the intestine quarrel, and who had led the 
wild host with success, to spoil the domin- 
ions of the Christian despot. 



CHAPTER LXIV. 

THE GALLA BORDERS. PCOCLAMATION OF 
WAR. 

Shortly after the departure of the em- 
bassy from Ankober, a robbery was com- 
mitted in the residency ; and the delin- 
quents having been duly traced out by the 
lebashi, were sent in chains to Angollala, 
and incarcerated in one of the palace court- 
yards. The principal party proved to be a 
slave of the king, aided and abetted by a 
deftera, who had been for some time em- 
ployed with his pen ; and the greater por- 
tion of the stolen property was shortly 
returned by the hands of the chief smith, 
who succeeded the disgraced page in the 
office of baldoraba. " Strangers have visit- 
ed me from a far country," was the mes- 
sage wherewith he was charged, "and 
while residing under my protection have 
'been plundered by my subjects. My name 
has become tarnished. I have beaten the 
culprits with sticks, and shall cut off the 
ears of the slave Wooseni, and sell him to 
the merchants of Hurrur." 

Intercession, backed by presents, was 
successfully made with the king and queen, 
in behalf of the offender, a lad of ten years 
of age, and he was liberated after severe 
castigation. "God must be angry with 
me," sobbed the juvenile thief, who had 
once before been detected beneath a bed 
with a pair of scissors in his possession — 
" God must be angry with me, for I have 
only twice attempted to rob, and on both 
occasions have I been punished." 

Among the articles stolen, which cor . 
sisted chiefly of beads, were sovereigRd of 
William the Fourth and of Queen Victo- 
ria; and suspicions arising in the royal 
mind that these were not of gold, as as- 
serted by the owner, his majesty proposed 
testing the metal by the ordeal of fire. A 
coin of the former reign was accordingly 
thrust into the forge, and having then been 
immersed in water, was broken with a 



166 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



chisel by the conclave of smiths. " Call 
you this English gold?"' exclaimed the 
negoos ; " here then is a piece of Abys- 
sinian gold for you," — and throwing upon 
the ground the brass foil of a sword scab- 
bard, he laughed immoderately. A four- 
penny piece was then exhibited, as a 
somewhat more portable and commodious 
medium of exchange than blocks of salt, 
and the figure on the obverse immediately 
elicited the inquiry whether the queens of 
England went forth with their armies to 
battle, since Britannia was equipped with 
spear and shield, and was about to set a 
sareti* in her crown like the warrior king 
of the Amhara. 

A quarrel of long standing between Ay to 
Melkoo and the commander-in-chief of the 
gunmen, who ranked among the foremost 
of the court sycophants, had been this day 
brought for adjustment before the royal 
tribunal. The award being found in fa- 
vor of the appellant, the master of the 
horse, although a great favorite, was hand- 
cuffed, and imprisoned in the brewery, but 
after a few hours' durance he was set at 
large, and his punishment commuted to a 
fine of seven hundred and fifty pieces of 
salt. " It is of no consequence," he re- 
marked somewhat unwisely, " I shall car- 
ry a mamalacha to the ' commander,' and 
he will pay the amount for me." 

This boast had given occasion to mali- 
cious insinuations on the part of his ene- 
mies, and after dark there came a confiden- 
tial message from the palace, to the effect 
that Ayto Melkoo was suspected of con- 
cealing certain "pleasing things" under- 
stood to have been received from the for- 
eigners. But this imputation, which, if 
confirmed, must have involved disgrace 
and confiscation of property, proved, fortu- 
nately for the accused, to have no founda- 
tion. 

A better instance could scarcely have 
been adduced to illustrate the fleeting and 
precarious nature of the despot's smiles. 
The mother of the tottering favorite, a na- 
tive of Ambasel in the province of Lasta, 
was for many years the favorite mistress 
of Hatze Yasoo, then emperor of Gondar, 
on whose demise she became an inmate of 
the seraglio of Asfa Woosen. Ayto Wa- 
Ji, the distinguished Galla governor of An- 
goJala, being thrown into prison by the 
latter monarch, contrived during his incar- 
ceration to solace himself with the pres- 
ence of the lady, and the master of the 
horse was the result of the intrigue. No 



* The sareti is a sprig of wild asparagus worn in Shoa 
as a token of victory, as will be seen presently. 



disgrace whatever attaching to his illegiti- 
mate origin, he was regarded in the light 
of a member of the royal family ; and, 
brought up in the palace, he has succeed- 
ed during three several reigns in maintain- 
ing a position at court, which might now 
have been sacrificed by the clandestine pos- 
session of a dozen ells of English broad- 
cloth. The amende was, nevertheless, 
made to him in the course of a few days, 
by the addition of another village to his 
landed possessions at Doba. 

Such paltry proofs of espionage were in- 
variably followed by some especial token 
of the royal good-will, ushered in by a goat 
or a jar of honey, as a peace-offering. In 
this instance, after the despot had been 
fully satisfied of the groundless nature of 
his surmises, an invitation was tendered to 
accompany him the next day on a shooting 
excursion, and a Galla ram, the size of a 
well-grown calf, was thrust into the tent 
by a dirty page, who, as usual, composed 
himself to sleep in a corner after the due 
delivery of his message. 

Saturday, being the Jewish Sabbath, 
brings rest from all labor, and is invariably 
devoted by his majesty to excursions abroad. 
Starting on horseback at a» early hour, a 
gallop of several miles led across the Cha- 
cha, and over the border of the Galla de- 
pendencies, to an extensive, but narrow 
sheet of water, where an otter had lately 
been seen. " It has hands, and nails, and 
finders like a man," observed the monarch 
gravely, and a head like a black dog, and 
a skin like velvet ; and it builds its house 
at the bottom of the river, and plucks 
grass, and washes it in the water ; and all 
my people thought it was the devil, and 
would kill them with strong medicine. 
Now is this animal found in your country, 
and how do they call its name ?" 

But the appearance of numerous ducks 
and geese soon diverted the royal attention. 
Drawing up with his retinue, and resting 
his weapon over the shoulder of an atten- 
dant to insure steady aim, the king kept up 
a murderous fire with ball, shot, and slugs, 
during a full half hour. The weather was 
passing cold, and ever and anon his majes- 
ty blew his nose betwixt his thumb and 
fore-finger, and wiped them on the mantle 
of the governor of Bulga, who eagerly 
proffered it for acceptance. A serious dim- 
inution in the numerical strength of the 
feathered fools resulted in no attempt to 
take wing, or even to shift position. In- 
credible though it may appear, the living 
still paddled among the floating carcasses 
of their slaughtered comrades, as if no- 
thing had happened, until the destroyer 



ROYAL SPORTING— DEBRA LIBANOS. 



167 



weary of persecuting the " unclean birds," 
which were not even taken out of the wa- 
ter, remounted and crossed the country at 
speed to a wide meadow, traversed by the 
serpentine Chacha. 

Bald coots were here playing at hide-and- 
seek, while red-headed grebes dived and 
warily reappeared for an instant, as the 
noisy cavalcade advanced. The spoonbill, 
and the leather-necked ibis of Egyptian 
veneration, displayed their white plumage 
along the sedge-grown borders. The he- 
ron, the snakebird, and the redshank, waded 
through the shallow drifts ; and geese, wid- 
geon, teal, and mallard, rose whirring in 
the air at every step. But amid all this in- 
viting variety, the snowy egret was the ob- 
ject of the king's ambition ; and although, 
after many unsuccessful attempts, he failed 
in adorning his head with her unsullied 
plumes, he retired perfectly satisfied with 
his skill as a rifleman, after a long stray 
shot had perforated the eye of an " alata 
furda" This is a gigantic slate-colored 
crane, with eccentric red wattles, and sev- 
eral pairs, that were marching over the 
mead, had previously elicited most notable 
displays of gunmanship on the part of the 
royal favorites. 

Abogaz Maretch, with his feudal train 
of Abidchu, joined the corltge as it pass- 
ed Wona-badera, his seat of government. 
The treeless expanse passed over- — a type 
of the entire Galla territory north of Moolo- 
Falada, where forest land commences — 
consists of wide valleys clothed with a ver- 
dant carpet of grass, clover, and trefoil, 
which, from their redundant luxuriance, al- 
most impede progress. Every little inter- 
secting eminence is completely covered 
with flourishing fields of barley and wheat, 
and crowned with villages fortified with 
strong stockades ; and one ancient woira 
excepted, whose venerable boughs formed 
in days gone by a trysting-place to the 
hostile pagans, not a single bush or tree 
was visible during the long ride. 

An extensive barrier of loose stones has- 
tily thrown up during the rebellion of Me- 
doko, fortifies the southeastern environs 
of Angullala ; and although confessedly 
inferior to the wall of China, it is calcu- 
lated to offer temporary opposition to horse- 
men who are no Nimrods. Returning 
according to undeviating wont by another 
road than that by which he had set out, his 
majesty passed through a palisaded wicket 
in this breastwork, which is dignified with 
the title of " the King's Gate," and forms 
the scene of the few public executions that 
take place. Chiefs, governors, and visitors 
are accorded the privilege of squeezing 



through with the crowned head, but fol- 
lowers and people of low degree are com- 
pelled by the stick of the doorkeeper, to 
adopt a circuitous route over a belt of stony 
hills adjoining, which form a continuation 
of the defences. 

The ascent to the palace was accom- 
plished under the wild choral chant which 
invariably announces return from the ex- 
cursion abroad. The road was lined with 
pilgrims clothed in yellow garments, and 
having each a cross of blue clay upon his 
forehead. They had been to perform their 
vows, or redeem their pledges left, at the 
sanctuary of Debra Libanos,* chief seat of 
learning in Shoa, and the renow T ned scene 
of the miracles of Tekla Haimanot, its 
founder. Hard pressed by his enemies, the 
patron and lawgiver of Ethiopia is said to 
have leapt through the trunk of a venera- 
ble tree, a seam in which yet vouches for 
the truth of the legend that it spontaneous- 
ly clave asunder at his holy bidding, but 
closed to foil the sacrilegious assailants 
who sought his life. Being athirst, he 
prayed unto God, whereupon the archangel 
Michael, who was his mediator, caused a 
fountain to rise at his feet, supplied by the 
stream of the river Jordan. A cross which 
he carried in his hand had been swept away 
during the passage of a neighboring tor- 
rent, but no sooner did he curse the waters, 
than they were dried up, and have never 
since flowed above the channel ! 

The remains of the saint still cast a halo 
over the spot in which they lie interred, 
and the pool which he blessed, retains to 
this day the property of cleansing the leper, 
and healing the patient, however diseased, 
who shall immerse on either of the three 
days annually devoted to the commemora- 
tion of his birth, death, and ascension. Fa- 
mous as the most holy of shrines through- 
out Southern Abyssinia, men of every rank, 
from the monarch to the meanest peasant, 
if unable to repair thither in person, dele- 
gate their substitute with offerings accord- 
ing to their wealth. Having on his way 
bathed in the " Segga Wadiim," or " river 
of flesh and blood " — a tributary to the Nile 
formed by the confluence of the Sana Robi 
and the Sana Boka — the pilgrim quaffs the 
waters of the mineral well, describes upon 
his forehead the sacred emblem of Chris- 
tianity, and after kissing at the adjacent 
church of St. Mary, a cross which is as- 
serted by the priesthood to have fallen from 
heaven, he is secure against sickness and 
witchcraft. The very earth from Debra 
Libanos is carried away as an antidote to 



* Mount Lebanon, 



168 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



maladies, and all who meet the returning 
pilgrim, fall prostrate upon the ground, and 
kiss the dust from off his feet. 

No sooner had his majesty entered the 
palace gate than the sound of the imperial 
drum announced the presence of the her- 
ald, and crowds collected to listen to the 
royal edict. Standing upon the hill-side 
beneath the shadow of a solitary stunted 
tree, which, had it a tongue, could unfold 
many a tale of wo and oppression, he thus 
proclaimed in a loud voice to the multitude 
assembled, " Hear, oh, hear ! Thus saith 
the king. Behold we have foes, and would 
trample upon their necks. Prepare ye 
every one for war. On the approaching 
festival of Abba Kinos, whoso faileth to 
present himself at Yeolo as a good and loyal 
subject, mounted, armed, and carrying pro- 
visions for twenty-one days, shall be held 
as a traitor, and shall forfeit his property 
during seven years." 



CHAPTER LXV. 

A LECTURE ON PHYSIC. 

The mercy, and the medical skill of the 
foreigners, had already produced their ef- 
fect in a nation possessing neither of the 
two. Woizoro Indanch Yellum, aunt to 
his majesty, being shortly on a visit to the 
court from Achun-Kurra, was made the 
bearer of compliments on the part of Ze- 
nama Work* the Quecn-dowager, respect- 
ing the pardon of the delinquent slave ;" 
but they were accompanied by an admoni- 
tion that the British guests of her son would 
do well not to squander the entire of their 
pleasing things among those who knew not 
how to appreciate them. " We have seen 
wondrous things in the time of Sahela 
Selassie," concluded this message from 
" the golden shower," — " and the prophe- 
cies respecting the red men have indeed 
fully come to pass." 

The fame, too, of the operation performed 
with such singular success upon the gov- 
ernor of Mentshar had spread far and wide, 
and applications for medical aid became 
daily more numerous — the patient, in lieu 
of tendering a fee, invariably insisting, 
when cured, upon the receipt of some re- 
ward. Priests, renowned for the sanctity 
of their lives, applied in the same breath 
for a white head-dress, and for a remedy 
against disorders superinduced " by eating 
the flesh of partridges." Even nuns did 

* ». e. Rain of gold. 



not disdain assistance, and many a hapless 
victim to Galla barbarity sought a cure for 
his irreparable misfortunes. 

An exceedingly ill-favored fellow, stri- 
ding into the tent, exhibited a node upon 
the forehead, which he desired might be 
instantly removed. " The knife, the knife," 
he exclaimed ; " off with it ; my face is 
spoiled, and has become like that of a cow." 
A ruffian who, in a domestic brawl, had 
contrived to break the arm of his wife, 
entreated that it might be " mended ;" and 
a wretched youth, whose leg had been 
fractured twelve months previously, was 
brought in a state of appalling emaciation, 
with the splinters protruding horribly. 
Amputation was proposed as the only re- 
source, but the master of the horse was 
loud in his opposition. " Take my advice," 
he remonstrated, " and leave this business 
alone. If the boy dies, all will declare 
that the ' proprietor of the medicines ' killed 
him — and furthermore, should he survive, 
it will be said the Almighty cured him." 

In Shoa, the practice of surgery directs 
the removal of a carious tooth with the 
hammer, punch, and pincers of the black- 
smith. Should venesection be required, a 
stick placed in the patient's mouth is tight- 
ened by means of a thong passed round 
the neck, and the distended veins of the 
forehead are then opened with a razor. 
Cupping, performed by means of a horn 
exhausted by suction, is also extremely 
fashionable ; and actual cautery, which is 
believed to strengthen the muscles of the 
spear arm, is applied by means either of a 
pile of lighted cotton, or a stick heated by 
rapid friction. Fractured bones that have 
united badly, are said to be violently re- 
broken to admit of their being properly 
set; and upon the authority of Ayto Habti, 
the chief physician in ordinary, it may also 
be stated, that splinters coming away are 
successfully supplied by portions of the 
skull of a newly-slain sheep or goat ! 

But amulets and enchantments are by 
all classes held far more efficacious than 
the drugs of the Abyssinian " possessor of 
remedies,"* which, of a truth, must be ac- 
knowledged to form but a feeble materia 
medica. Insanity, epilepsy, delirium, hys- 
teria, St. Vitis's dance, and in fact every 
obstinate disorder for which no specific is 
known, is invariably ascribed to the influ- 
ence of demons or sorcerers, and the pa- 
tient is either declared to be possessed of 
a devil, or to labor under the disastrous 
consequences of inumbration by the shad- 

* Bala medanit, " the master of the medecines," is 
the term applied to every physician. 



MEDICAL TREATMENT— THE EVIL EYE. 



169 






ow of an enemy. Shreds of blue paper 
are held to be preservatives against head- 
ache, and the seeds of certain herbs are 
worn as charms against hydrophobia and 
disasters on a journey ; but of these, some 
must be plucked with the left hand, and 
others with a finger upon which there is 
a silver ring, and all under a fortunate 
horoscope, or they can avail nothing. 

Small-pox frequently devastates the land, 
and a free boy of pure blood is then select- 
ed from among the number of the infected, 
and carefully secluded until the pustules 
are ripe. Many hundred persons assem- 
ble, and a layman, chosen for the rectitude 
of his life, having mixed the lymph with 
honey, proceeds to inoculate with a razor. 
Death is often the consequence of the 
clumsy operation, of the origin of which 
no tradition exists ; neither has any charm 
been yet discovered to avert the scourge. 
While invalids of all classes daily flocked 
to the camp of the Europeans for medical 
assistance, applications were not wanting 
from the palace in proof of the reputation 
acquired. One of the princesses royal,' 
who had been lodged with the illustrious 
visitor from Achun-Kurra, in the crimson 
pavilion presented by the British Govern- 
ment, found herself in need of advice ; and 
on being visited, lay concealed beneath the 
basket pedestal of a wicker dining-table, 
whence her sprained foot was thrust forth 
for inspection. Divers respectable duen- 
nas of the royal kitchen, who had been se- 
verely scalded by the bursting of a pottage 
cauldron, were also treated with success, 
when they had been given over by the boay 
physician, at whose merciless hfi^ds the 
sobbing patients had been petered over, 
with honey and soot ; and * mutton bone 
was extracted from tb^ throat of a page, 
where it had been frmiy wedged for three 
days. But the -ure which elicited the 
most unqualMed and universal amaze- 
ment, was? that of a favorite baalomaal,* 



who, lpioring under a fit of apoplexy, 
which had deprived him of animation, was 
suddenly revived by venesection, after fu- 
migation with ashkoko goomunj had been 
tried without the smallest avail, and prepa- 
rations were already commencing for his 
interment. 

Medicine, in fact, now engrossed the 
entire of the royal attention. Phials and 
drugs without number were sent to the 
tent, with a request that they might be so 
labelled as to admit of the proper dose be- 
ing administered to patients laboring under 
complaints for the removal of which they 

* Officer of the royal household, t Hyrax's cabbage. 
12 



were respectively adapted. Two or more 
invalids, who objected to be seen, were 
certain to arrive at the palace every four- 
and- twenty hours ; and no subterfuge was 
left untried, by which to augment the al- 
ready ample stock of pills on hand. " You 
will take care not to give the whole of the 
remedies to my people, or there will be 
none left for myself, should I fall sick," 
was an almost daily message from the 
selfish despot. But prescriptions designed 
for his own use, were invariably tried first 
upon a subject; and the much-dreaded 
goulard-wash having been again prepared, 
directions were given to apply it constant- 
ly to a boy who had been found laboring 
under ophthalmia, in order to ascertain 
whether he died or survived. 

The most particular inquiries were insti- 
tuted relative to the mode of counteracting 
the influence of the evil-eye, and much 
disappointment expressed at the unavoida- 
ble intimation that the dispensary of the 
foreigners contained neither " the horn of 
a serpent," which is believed to afford an 
invaluable antidote against witchcraft, no 
preservative against wounds in the battle- 
field, nor any nostrum for "those who go 
mad from looking at a black dog." " We 
princes also fear the sVnall-pox," said his 
majesty, " and therefore never tarry long 
in the same place. Nagasi, my illustri- 
ous ancestor, suffered martyrdom from 
this scourge. Have you no medicine to 
drive it from myself?" 

Vaccine lymph there was in abundance, 
but neither Christian, Moslem, nor Pagan 
had yet consented to make trial of its vir- 
tues. Glasses hermetically sealed, be- 
twixt which the perishable fluid had been 
deposited, were exhibited, and its use 
expounded. "No, no!" quoth the king, 
as he delivered the acquisition to his mas- 
ter of the horse, with a strict injunction to 
have it carefully stitched in leather — 
" this is lalakli medanit, very potent medi- 
cine indeed ; and henceforth I must wear 
it as a talisman against the evil that beset 
my forefathers." 

" You must now give me the medicine 
which draws the vicious waters from the 
leg," resumed his majesty, " and which is 
better than the earth from Mount Lebanon ; 
— the medicine which disarms venomous 
snakes, and that which turns the gray 
hairs black ; — the medicine to destroy the 
worm in the ear of the queen, which is 
ever burrowing deeper ; and, above all, the 
medicine of the seven colors, which so 
sharpens the intellects; as to enable him 
who swallows enough of it, to acquire 
every sort of knowledge without the 



170 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



slightest trouble. Furthermore, you will 
be careful to give my people none of this" 



CHAPTER LXVI. 

THE CAMPAIGN. 

In common with all other African po- 
tentates, Sahela Selassie never engages 
in war, induced either by public principles, 
by national glory, or, least of all, by love 
of his people. While the fear of rebellion 
and disturbance at home deters him from 



Zooai in Gurague, distant from Angollala 
one hundred and fifty miles ; and this cir- 
cumstance fully explained the before in- 
comprehensible indifference displayed by 
the negoos to the suggested preparations 
to facilitate the advance of his troops. 
Keeping the secret of his real intentions 
fast locked in his own despotic breast, it is 
the invariable practice of his majesty to 
i publish a manifesto of the approaching 
! campaign, calculated to mislead his ene- 
mies ; and he not unfrequently carries the 
I deception so far, as to make three or four 
| marches in a direction quite opposite to 
that in which he had inwardly resolved to 
attempting on a grand scale to resume the | strike the blow> None have the sliffhtest 

lost possessions of his ancesters, to wield idea in vvhat quart er the thunderbolt is to 



the sceptre as they did, three hundred 
miles south of his present limits, and to 
reunite the scattered remnants of Chris- 
tian population who once acknowledged 
their supremacy — revenge, the almost in- 
variable success attending his arms, and 
the insatiable love of plunder inherent in 
the breast of every savage, impel him 
thrice a year to gather his undisciplined 
militia, in order to undertake sudden and 
sweeping inroads, either for the purpose 
of chastising insurrection among the sub- 
jugated usurpers of portions of the ancient 
empire of Ethiopia, or of asserting his un- 
stable authority over some neighboring 
tribe that may heretofore have succeeded 
in maintaining its independence. 

The wilds of Abyssinia sua not to be ex- 
plored by the solitary traveller, and the 
opportunity now offered, was therefore 
gladly embraced of acquiring important in 



fall, and as the fatal season draws nigh 
when the state revenues are to be levied, 
anxiously must throb the conscious bosom 
of the vassal who has fallen under the 
royal displeasure. 

Beyond the removal of muskets and 
matchlocks from their pegs, to be oiled and 
exposed to the sun before the porch of the 
I great audience hall, few signs of prepara- 
! tion were observable for the approaching 
foray. Angollala was indeed somewhat 
(more populous than usual, and beggars 
I more numerous and importunate. Greasy 
iGalla chieftains, too, were in attendance 
! with propitiatory offerings and outstanding 
i arrears of tribute, and the interior of the 
palace presented a scene of increased bus- 
tle and confusion. His majesty was to be 
seen absorbed in the inspection of venera- 
ble pots, pans, and pipkins, which would 
«ave been esteemed invaluable contribu- 



formation relative to the mode of Amhara j tion&+o ^ Britigh museum Tail silk 
warfare, while visiting regions hitherto tmse] , aid satin were in equal requisition 
unknown. Superstition, policy, and fear, toward the a acorat ion of the imperial per- 
alike influenced the wily monarch in his ; son?and the fat Uagter of the ^ as £ gt _ 
expressed desire to be accompanied by his | ed by the * lite of &p household warr iors, 
British guests. The presence o : the I sat co bbling old leathei w ith laudable assi- 
stranger being considered to shed a bless- 1 duity for the edification oS a whole host of 
ing over the army, is invariably enforced eunuchs. But in the arsenal there was no 
by royal mandate, which extends indis- 



criminately to all residing within the 
kingdom ; and while his majesty, distrust- 
ing the sojourn in his undefended capital, 
of so large a body of foreigners, sought 
the augmentation of his consequence in 
the eyes both of enemies and subjects, the 
cause of humanity promised to be pro- 
moted by the check which the presence 
of the European invariably enforces upon 
the excited savage, during the revolting 
and sanguinary scenes of exulting victory. 
From the fact of the army having pro- 
vided rations for no more than twenty 
days, it was cle.arly impossible that ope- 
rations should be directed against Lake 



busy note of preparation such as is wont 
to precede European warfare ; no crowd- 
ing of light ordnance and heavy batteries : 
no commissariat, wagon train, or sick car- 
riage, and no interminable files of camels 
loading for the approaching march. 

" The steed, 
The mustering squadron, and the clattering car," 

had no place on the parade : the compli- 
cated and expensive equipment, and the 
munitions of the siege, were alike wanting ; 
and although a few detachments were bi- 
vouacked on the adjacent meadow, and the 
black pall of a governor was here and there 
to be seen, it was still difficult even to con- 



THE MARCH— THE GATHERING. 



171 



jecture whence the army of the despot was 
to spring. 

Abject slaves to superstition, the Amhara 
never fail to consult the omens before set- 
ting out on a military expedition. Priests 
and monks are referred to by the monarch, 
and the accidental fall of the targe from a 
saddle bow, the alighting of a hooded crow 
in the path of a warrior, or the appearance 
of a white falcon with the tail toward him, 
are believed to augur unfavorably to suc- 
cess ; while the flight of a pair of ravens 
in any direction, or the descent of a falcon 
with her head toward the army, are on the 
other hand esteemed certain prognostica- 
tions of victory. For a full week prior to 
the opening of the projected campaign, the 
nocturnal howling of dogs had boded its 
inauspicious termination. One cur bayed 
at the moon as she rose ; a second and a 
third took up the vile note, and a doleful 
concert of hundreds gave birth in the mind 
of the Christian soldier to presage of com- 
ing evil. 

Queen Besabesh was to await the issue 
of the foray at Angollala, and the command 
of the town meanwhile devolved upon the 
eunuch Wolda Manam, with a garrison 
sufficient to deter visits on the part of the 
Galla, who have more than once attempted 
to burn the palace during such incursions 
into their territories. On the morning of 
the day appointed, a flourish of trumpets 
from the royal band proclaimed the exit of 
the negoos from the palace, and shortly af- 
ter sunrise, the imperial crimson velvet 
umbrellas issued through the gateway at 
the head of a numerous procession. Cross- 
ing the green meadow, his majesty, re- 
splendent in cloth of gold, took the road to 
the south by the wicket in the Galla wall, 
on which a strong advance picquet had al- 
ready taken post. Every house in Angol- 
lala swelled the passing' cavalcade ; and 
each valley and hamlet in the environs 
marshalling its quota of mounted warriors, 
the nucleus of the incipient army, before 
advancing many miles, had become thick 
and dense. Abogaz Maretch with the Abid- 
chu legion, streamed from the stockaded 
hill of Wona-badera, and a band of veterans 
occupying the summit of an adjacpnt rock 
meanwhile chanted the prowess of the 
royal warrior, who halted a few seconds in 
acknowledgment of the flattering eulogium. 

Little or no arrangement is attempted 
during the first march, which invariably 
terminates at or near Yeolo, in order to af- 
ford time to stragglers to rejoin, or to admit 
of the return of those who may from any 
circumstance prove incapable of toil, or un- 
prepared for the campaign. Immediately 
12* 



in advance of the army, screened beneath 
a canopy of scarlet broadcloth, were borne 
on an ambling mule the Holy Scriptures 
and the ark of the cathedral of St. Michael, 
the miraculous virtues of which sacred 
emblem, throwing into shade those of the 
Palladium of Troy, are believed to insure 
victory to the Christian host. Supported 
by the crimson debaboch, the king rode next 
upon a richly-caparisoned mule, a small 
space around the royal person being kept 
clear by the corps of shield-bearers, who 
were flanked on the right by fusileers and 
matchlockmen of the body-guard, and on 
the left by the band of kettle-drums on don- 
keys, with trumpets and wind instruments. 
Numerous governors, judges, monks, priests 
and singers followed, and behind them rode 
a curious accompaniment to a martial ex- 
pedition. Forty dames and damsels, pro- 
fessing the culinary art, with elaborately 
crisped bee-hive wigs, greased faces be- 
daubed with ocrhe, and arched blue eye- 
brows, were muffled in crimson-striped 
robes of cotton — a demure assemblage, 
rigorously guarded on all sides by austere 
eunuchs armed with long white wands. 
Beyond, far as the eye could penetrate the 
canopy of dust which hung over the hori- 
zon, every hill and valley swarmed with 
masses of equestrians and pedestrians, 
warriors, henchmen, and camp-followers, 
sumpter horses, asses, and mules, laden 
with tents, horns of old mead, and bags of 
provisions — throngs of women carrying 
pitchers of beer and hydromel at their 
backs, and lads with gliitering sheaves of 
spears upon their shoulders, leading gayly- 
caparisoned war-stseds — all mixed and 
crowded together in the most picturesque 
disorder and confusion. 

After cros?mg the Chacha, the country 
is no lons er sa, fe f° r a single traveller; 
and owing to the determined hostility of 
the various wild Galla tribes by wthich it 
is inhabited, small Amhara detachments 
vould find difficulty in passing — the inhu- 
man practice of mutilation being resorted 
to on all possible opportunities. The road 
lay through an amphitheatre of low broken 
hills, rising amid rich meadows and fields, 
and clothed in parts with juniper or camel 
thorn, through dark groves of which peep- 
ed numerous tiny Galla hamlets — the dis- 
tant landscape being bounded by the great 
blue mountain ranges of Bulga, Garra Gor- 
phoo, and Sallala Moogher, collectively 
forming a crescent, but towering inde- 
pendently in isolated grandeur. 

At the termination of the fifteenth mile, 
the ladies and their eunuchs, having hov- 
ered about for some time in uncertainty, 



172 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



finally settled down, like a flight of flamin- 
goes, in a pretty secluded valley, through 
which winds the deep muddy Baroga. 
Their halt, and the selection made of a spot 
for the royal kitchen, proclaimed the en- 
camping ground under a naturally scarped 
table hill styled Gimbee Bayello, which im- 
parts its name to the spot. A fierce scramble 
for places ensued, and the several detach- 
ments bivouacking sub divo around the 
dingy palls of their respective leaders, which 
arose on the next minute, soon spread far 
and wide over every dell and meadow. 

The centre of the straggling camp, which 
could not have measured less than five 
miles in diameter, was occupied by the 
royal suite of tents, consisting of a gay 
parti-colored marquee of Turkish manu- 
facture, surrounded by twelve ample awn- 
ings of black serge, over which floated five 
crimson pennons, surmounted respectively 
by silver globes. Until these had been 
erected, and duly inclosed by an outer 
screen of cotton cloths, the negoos, accord- 
ing to his wont, ascending an adjacent em- 
inence, with all the principal chieftains, 
and an escort of several hundred picked 
warriors, remained seated on a cushioned 
alga; and under the crimson canopy of 
the state umbrellas, watched the progress 
making toward his accommodation. 

Horses abound in the kingdom of Shoa, 
as well as throughout the adjacent cham- 
pagne country of the Galla ; but save du- 
ring the foray, they are rarely mounted by 
the indolent Amhara, the sure-footed mule 
being better adapted to his taste, and to 
the rugged hills that compose the greater 
portion of the rugged frontier. The note 
of war, however, had so Materially increas- 
ed the value of the steed, foat even the few 
horses required had been obtained with 
difficulty. Every old, unsound, said vicious 
Rozinante in the realm was spaciously 
presented, and in turn rejected, wherv Abo- 
gaz Maretch at length advertised his su.id. 
Two hundred pieces of salt were the price 
fixed upon the first purchase ; and as this 
small change was not procurable within 
thirty miles, and moreover would have 
formed the load of two jackasses, ten Aus- 
trian convention dollars were forwarded in 
lieu thereof, each valued at ten amoles, 
and exhibiting all the requisite jewels in 
the star and coronet of Maria Theresa. " I 
have kept your silver," was the chief's re- 
ply, " because you have sent it ; but in fu- 
ture when I sell you a horse, I shall expect 
you to pay me in salt." 

In a country where even the hire of a 
porter is dependent upon the arbitrary ca- 
price of the despotic sovereign, and where 



the inferiors of the court, entertaining one 
and all the most thorough contempt for 
truth, are lavish of promises without the 
smallest intention of performing them, no 
little difficulty had also been experienced 
in obtaining transport at so busy a season. 
The preparations of the British party were 
therefore of an extremely limited nature, 
no member carrying aught but the scanti- 
est bedding, while the general commissa- 
riat was restricted to a small bag of flour 
with the jerked flesh of two oxen that had 
been provided on the occasion from the 
royal herds. But orders for the supply of 
porters, who were not to be hired, had only 
been issued at the very last moment, when 
the purveyor-general, with his customary 
liberality, reducing the kingly grant by one 
half, those finally furnished — three in num- 
ber — proved barely sufficient for the car- 
riage of rocket staves, medical stores, and 
surgical instruments required for the state 
service ; the flimsy cotton awnings and 
scanty baggage of both officers and escort 
being reluctantly transported by a few hired 
domestics, or' lashed with sharp leathern 
thongs upon the galled backs of feeble old 
pack-horses, purchased on emergency at 
the adjacent market of Bool Worki. 

When contrasted with disciplined forces, 
the camp equipage of the rabble Amhara 
was small and portable indeed. A com- 
missariat is unknown, every soldier and 
follower transporting his own provisions, 
w r hich are limited to parched grain or sun- 
dried flesh ; and as, owing to the rapidity 
of the march, and the usual absence of op- 
position, the campaign is rarely protracted 
beyond a fortnight, the system has been 
found to answer. Governors and leaders 
alone occupy tents, while every component 
member of their respective quotas, in defi- 
ance of cold and rain, bivouacks upon the 
bare ground, with his head upon the shield, 
and no screen betwixt himself and the vault 
of heaven, save the clothes carried upon 
his back. 

Strange was the sight presented as night 
closed over the first encampment of the 
cVivalry of Shoa. Rockets were to be fired 
by \he royal command, to instil terror into 
the breasts of the Galla hordes ; and the 
peak which rose near the head-quarters had 
been selected as the most centrical site for 
the display. Ascending from below, the 
hum of the mighty host arose in the still 
clear atmosphere, and the gleam of the 
bright embers which ran through the depths 
of the valley, and danced over the inter- 
vening heights, until lost in the far distance, 
presented the appearance of a city of an- 
cient days, whereof the great arteries being 



« FIRE RAINERS "—THE CAMP. 



173 



alone lit up during the nocturnal hours, full 
scope was allowed to the imagination to 
populate at pleasure the intervening gloom. 

The appearance at Angollala of the mus- 
kets presented to his majesty by the British 
government had already caused no incon- 
siderable consternation, it being the gen- 
erally received belief that the bayonet, hith- 
erto a stranger in the land, formed a great 
receptacle for poisonous spells. The roar 
of each flight of " fire rainers " now pro- 
duced a panic from end to end of the scat- 
tered camp. A buzz and a clamor of voices 
followed each luminous ascent, to burst 
forth into a loud peal of wonder when the 
brilliant shower of meteors fell after the 
explosion. Confusion ensued ; and as hor- 
ses and mules, bursting from their pickets, 
scoured away in terror, pursued by hench- 
man and by warrior, their figures, flitting 
in dim perspective before glimmering bale- 
fires, countless as the stars that spangled 
the firmament above, seemed shades called 
into existence by some magic agency, and 
doubtless proved to the gazing monarch, 
that the political object in contemplation 
had been well and fully accomplished. 

Habitual suspicion on the part of the 
despot inducing him to apprehend deser- 
tion to the enemy, the arms of the fusileers 
of the body-guard were piled, according to 
long-established usage, in one of the royal 
tents and strongly guarded. The chiefs 
and nobles then sat down to a repast in 
the pavilion, where hydromel and beer and 
raw flesh were in regal profusion. As the 
horn circulated briskly, and the spirits of 
the guests mounted in proportion, it was 
curious to listen to the vaunts of coming 
prowess that arose from the board. No 
limit was placed upon the victims who 
were to be gathered to their fathers, and 
loyalty and devotion knew no bounds. 
" You are the adorners," stammered one, 
as the party broke up, who had been deco- 
rated by his English friends ; " you gave 
me scarlet broadcloth, and behold I have 
reserved the gift for the present occasion. 
This garment will bring me signal success, 
for the pagan who espies a crimson cloak 
over the shoulder of the Amhara, believing 
him to be a warrior of distinguished valor, 
takes like an ass to his heels, and is spear- 
ed without the slightest danger." 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY. 

Rome is said to have subdued the world 
under the direction of a hen and chickens. 



but the legions of Shoa and Efat are arous- 
ed to victory by the shrill crowing of a 
cock, which is invariably carried with the 
army, in one of the wicker baskets, form- 
ing the pedestal of the banqueting table. 
One hundred and fifty-six choristers, termed 
asmaroch, are entertained at the expense 
of the crown, upon extensive grants of land, 
to chant psalms and hymns each livelong 
night of the entire year. Twelve are 
brought on duty every month, and their 
vigils, which are invariably kept standing, 
are observed with more than usual strict- 
ness during the continuance of a military 
expedition. Throu ghout the hours of dark- 
ness the loud chorus arose from the pavil- 
ion without a moment's intermission, the 
vocal labors around the holy ark ceasing 
only with the approach of dawn, as an- 
nounced by the merry notes of chanticleer. 

Many detachments being still in the rear, 
a halt was directed with a view to admit 
of their joining the head quarters, and the 
king, escorted by two thousand cavalry, 
made an excursion to a knoll at some dis- 
tance from the encampment, whence on a 
range stretching to the south-eastward, the 
hill of Dalofa was conspicuous. Hereon 
his majesty has recently erected a palace, 
which he rarely visits except for the pur- 
pose of controlling by his presence the 
disaffected and turbulent Galla, whose 
continual outbreaks render it a far from 
agreeable place of residence. Gazing for 
hours over the extensive tract of rich 
meadow land which lay stretched like a 
map at his feet, the mind of the contempla- 
tive monarch, occasionally directed to the 
administration of justice, appeared to be 
chiefly engrossed with the coming chapter 
of events, and to be abstractedly scanning 
the direction in which to pounce upon the 
surrounding foe. 

The favorite dancing girl meanwhile at- 
tuning her shrill throat to song laudatory 
of her own vocal powers, and of her happy 
state of independence, in wild though far 
from pleasing notes carolled ever and anon 
as the spirit of the nightingale entered into 
her soul. 

" Care have I none, no flock to keep, 
Nor corn to grind, nor field to reap ; 
"Pis mine alone through the livelong day 
To charm the king with my roundelay. 

" Task have I none, no toil to share, 
Nor wood to fetch, nor load to bear ; 
'Tis mine alone but to dance and sing 
And drink to the health of my lord the king." 

" Pity is it," remarked one of the party, 
" since the damsel has so little to do, that 
she does not that little better." 

Si What fault have you to find with her 



174 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



performance ?" growled the chief smith 
from beneath the ample folds of his lion- 
skin cloak, enveloped in which he had 
composed himself to rest under the shadow 
of an adjacent bush ; — " what fault have 
you to find with the king's asmari ? She 
sings according to the fashion of her own 
country, and that is surely sufficient." 

Early the ensuing morning, the royal 
drums beat to saddle, and in half an hour 
the army, which had swelled meanwhile 
to about fifteen thousand fighting men, 
was in motion over a country especially 
favorable to advance. Some military pre- 
cautions were now observed, large brigades 
of horse serving as flanking parties, and 
the heights to the right and left being 
crowned with patrols, as the state umbrel- 
las advanced over the level greensward, 
at the rate of three miles an hour. The 
king, with a few favorite chiefs, preceded 
by Ayto Berri, the quarter-master-general, 
and by the corps of guides escorting the 
holy ark and book of the law, led the host, 
which, extending for miles and miles to 
the rear, came pouring over the hills, and 
down the valleys, like a swollen river 
bursting its banks, and overflowing the 
entire country. 

The military system of Shoa being en- 
tirely feudal, each governor of the realm 
is required to furnish his contingent of 
militia in proportion to his landed tenure — 
his peasantry being at all times ready 
for the foray, and expected to purvey 
horse, arms, and provisions, without pay- 
ment from the state. Four hundred fusi- 
leers, bondsmen of the king, alone receive 
pay — eight pieces of salt, value one shil- 
ling and eight-pence, being disbursed an- 
nually to each, in addition to the food and 
raiment granted to every royal slave. 
Little discipline exists in the army thus 
composed, but considerable tact is evinced 
in its organization and distribution — small 
confidence being reposed in that portion 
which is not drawn from ancient posses- 
sions. 

Of three grand divisions, the centre, 
commanded by his majesty in person, 
consisted of the luguamioch, under Ayto 
Melkoo, master of the horse ; the gasaa 
shakri, or shield-bearers, and the detach- 
ment of the collector of newly-levied tri- 
bute. Immediately on the left flank were 
the fusileers of Ayto Katama, commander- 
in-chief of the body-guard, behind whom 
came the ivotzbietoch, or females of the 
royal kitchen; — then the legion of Ayto 
Guebroo, governor of Mentshar, and, last- 
ly, the detachments of Shoa-Meda, of Morat, 
and Morab'ietie. 



The van, consisting of skirmishers, is 
invariably led by the great governor of the 
subjugated Galla, under the title of worari. 
With Abogaz Maretch, who now filled 
this important post, were the tried gover- 
nors of Bulga, Kembibit, Gola, and Ootu- 
ba, whose respective detachments are 
Christians, and who are all drawn from 
the neighborhood, where intercourse with 
the Galla is most frequent. The third di- 
vision, or rear-guard, is commanded by the 
general styled wobo, who is arbitrarily 
chosen from the seats of seven govern- 
ments in the north, viz : Giddem, Geshe, 
Antzochia, Mans. Kaa, Gabriel, and Efrata 
— the same individual being never selected 
on two consecutive expeditions. 

By the continual exercise of his staf£ 
the master of the horse, assisted by the 
shield-bearers, contrived to preserve the 
proper distance between the van of the 
army and the royal person, but confusion 
reigned elsewhere. Warriors . were hud- 
dled together without order or arrange- 
ment, and every trooper selecting his own 
position in the detachment to which he 
belonged, diverted himself by devising the 
death of the numerous hares that scam- 
pered through the army, and, strange to 
say, often threaded the maze of hoofs in 
safety. 

During the early part of the march, 
herds of cattle grazing quietly in the pas- 
tures around various hamlets, proclaimed 
a subjugated tribe ; and clans of tributary 
Galla, each led by its respective chief, in 
some fantastic costume formerly received 
at the royal hands, met his majesty at in- 
tervals, in order to present tribute either 
in horses or kine — the whole greasy band 
dismounting at a respectful distance on 
the flank, hurrying before the despot's 
path, and with bosoms bared, prostrating 
themselves simultaneously upon the earth. 
Little respect, however, was paid to stand- 
ing crops — field after field of ripening corn 
being trampled level with the ground, in 
spite of the remonstrance of the disconso- 
late husbandmen, who. with heavy stones 
upon their heads, threw themselves at the 
feet of the king with loud and reiterated 
appeals. 

The course was generally southwest, 
and conjecture was on the rack as to the 
scene of active operations, and the ultimate 
destination of the army. But the secret 
still remaining with its royal leader, any 
new speculation on the subject did but 
elicit the old remark, " The belly of the 
master is not known." Choristers con- 
tinued to beguile the tedious march with 
their rambling stanzas, and to pour out 



THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY RAVAGED. 



175 



shrill strains of melody like the notes of 
the wild bird. The rough-riders galloped 
before the van of the host, to exhibit the 
paces of steeds received in tribute ; and 
his majesty, alighting ever and anon from 
his mule, reposed for a few minutes upon 
the cushioned alga which was carried in 
his train. 

Nothing could be more tame and mo- 
notonous than the country passed over. 
Wide grassy undulations, interspersed 
with extensive cultivation, rose unrelieved 
by a single tree or other redeeming fea- 
ture, save the many European flowers that 
wantoned beneath the joyous sunshine on 
the far-stretching prairie. The Karinza, 
the Fincha, the Chatti, and the Rufa 
rivers, all tributary to the Nile, were 
crossed in succession. Deep, narrow, 
muddy channels intersecting verdant mea- 
dows, these presented the general charac- 
ter of all Galla streams, cutting silently 
through the rich dark soil, and leaving 
swampy quagmires on the waving downs. 
At long intervals, the negoos, dismount- 
ing to change mules, proceeded some dis- 
tance on foot — an example followed by all. 
On the first of these occasions, his ma- 
jesty went through the comedy of thrusting 
his feet into slippers, selected from a bag 
carried by a slave, and containing nume- 
rous pairs manufactured of various colored 
morocco. Many were tried in succession, 
but the royal heels being invariably chafed 
and blistered, the experiment was finally 
abandoned in despair ; and sacrificing dig- 
nity to comfort, the despot, like his liege 
subjects, advanced unshod. 

For several hours not a horned head had 
been visible around the deserted hamlets ; 
and late in the afternoon, when the van of 
the flagging army arrived in the extensive 
plain of Abai -Deggar, completely environ- 
ed by hills, the order was given to encamp, 
destroy, and plunder. Instantly ensued 
a rush from all quarters at full gallop. 
Flourishing fields of wheat, barley, and 
beans, the produce of the toil of a rebel- 
lious tribe, were ravaged and overrun by 
the locust hordes ; and in the course of 
half an hour, the soil being stripped of 
every acre of cultivation, there commenced 
a general scramble for the rafters and ribs 
of houses, whereof the skeletons were 
presently consigned to the flames. 

The women of the royal kitchen had, as 
before, been the first to select a centrical and 
advantageous spot on which to pursue the 
important avocations of their calling ; but 
some arbitrary change having been direct- 
ed by his majesty, who occupied his usua! 
elevated position, the camp was thrown into 



confusion. Quarrels and scuffles might 
now be witnessed in every quarter. Those 
who had taken possession of a luxuriant 
pasture or the vicinage of water, stoutly 
defended the treasure against invading 
comrades ; and recourse being had to 
weapons, sword-cuts and broken heads 
were quite in fashion. Although now in 
an enemy's country, neither picket, vidette, 
nor sentry, was mounted ; and not the 
slightest precaution against nocturnal sur- 
prise was adopted, toward the security of 
the camp. 

But no advantage was taken of the Am- 
hara neglect; and another and similar 
forced march over a country equally de- 
void of interest with the tract already 
crossed, led to the long, narrow valley of 
Karabarek, at the foot of the Garra Gor- 
phoo mountains. The bright spear-blade 
glittered through the cloud of stifling dust 
that marked the course of myriads over 
ploughed land. Green fields and smiling 
meadows, quickly lost their bloom under 
the tramp of the steed : for no cultivation 
was now spared, and ruin and desolation 
were the order of the day. Straggling 
parties of the Sertie Galla had been seen 
crowning the heights that skirt the line of 
march, and near the peaked hill of Wyfun 
they were assembled in numbers ; but 
none ventured within half a mile of the 
host, twenty thousand in number, all thirst- 
ing alike for the blood of their enemies. 
Far and wide the country was laid waste, 
and every vestige of human habitation de- 
stroyed under the torch, the flames racing 
among the riper barley with the speed of a 
galloping horse ; but the wretched inhab- 
itants, aware of the approach of the spoil- 
er, had abandoned their dwellings before 
the fell storm burst over them ; and one 
aged man only had yet fallen into the mer- 
ciless clutches of the invaders. 

This prize had stained the hand of a fol- 
lower of Ayto Gadel, governor of Chercha, 
a functionary far from being notorious for 
courageous bearing. On the occasion of 
Medoko's last advance, his was the man- 
sion first beleagured by the insurgents, but 
he fled in dismay, Jcaving his fair partner 
to defend the premises. Joining, after the 
first day's march, he had put the most di- 
verting - questions relative to the English, 
with whose appearance he was greatly 
perplexed. 

" Are these people pagans ?" inquired 
the hero, with owlish features, but toe 
strongly indicative of his vacant mind. 

« No." 

" Are thev Islams ?" 

"No." 



176 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



" Then what are they ?" 

" Christians." 

" Christians ! Impossible. They observe 
no fast, and wear no mateb as a badge of 
their religion.* Is there any grass in their 
country ?" 

" Why not ?" 

"How did I know ? Have they cattle ?" 

" Abundance." 

" And sheep and goats ?" 

" Certainly." 

" And their negoos, does he carry deba- 
boch,f and make great zumaclias,\ with 
warriors like these ?" turning his oyster 
eyes, lighted with something like martial 
fire, toward the countless rabble in the 
rear. But the party thus interrogated could 
keep his temper no longer ; and as the lit- 
tle hunch-backed father confessor rode 
iauntily up with a dirty page perched on 
the crupper of his mule, to volunteer a 
lesson in the noble art of equitation, he 
galloped off, exclaiming with a sneer : 

" Like these, forsooth ! One of her Bri- 
tannic majesty's regiments would in a sin- 
gle hour sweep from off the face of the 
earth, the whole undisciplined mob that 
swells the impotent train of the boasted 
descendant of King Solomon." 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

THE FORAY. 

Thus far the greatest irregularity and 
confusion had prevailed among the Am- 
hara, alike during the march and the en- 
campment. A council of war was daily 
convened, when each leader made his re- 
port and received verbal instructions for 
his guidance ; but no order of any sort was 
promulgated until the moment before it 
was to be carried into effect, and all de- 
pended rather upon the whim and caprice 
of the monarch than upon the exigencies 
of the service. The first intimation of 
intended march v/as conveyed by the roy- 
al drums sounding suddenly to saddle a 
quarter of an hour before advance, which, 
as the state pavilion went down, was an- 
nounced by a flourish of horns. 

But notwithstanding that the strictest 
silence had been observed on the subject 
by the negoos, as well as by all who might 
have been unavoidably admitted to confi- 
dence, strong surmises were entertained 

* Mateb, i. e. Mark or token. The blue silk cord 
worn around the neck by the Christian of Shoa. 
t i. e. Umbrellas of state. % Military expeditions. 



that a foray from Karabarek was to be the 
order of the following day ; and about two 
hours after midnight the sudden and un- 
usual cessation of the psalm-singing, fol- 
lowed by the heavy tramp past the tents of 
Ayto Shishigo's detachment of Shoa-Meda 
horse, confirming the opinion, the hum of 
the surrounding body, like that of a dis- 
turbed hive of bees, continued until dawn. 
No sooner was it light, than his majesty 
rode silently forth from his inclqsure with- 
out beat of the nugareet, and thousands 
instantly flocked toward the royal person. 

The state umbrellas, furled, were in- 
cased in white bags, and the usual cum- 
brous Abyssinian robe, which effectually 
impedes all rapid movement, was on this 
occasion cast aside. Short wide trowsers 
of various hues hung loosely to the knee. 
A thick white cloth girded up the loins. 
The skins of wild beasts, the lion, the pan- 
ther, and the ocelot, alone hung over the 
brawny shoulder of the warrior ; and, with 
exception of about two hundred musque- 
teers with bayonets fixed, every individual 
was equipped with spear, sword, and buck- 
ler, his mounted henchman leading behind 
him a spare charger. 

At first starting the crush and confusion 
was truly terrific. Horses and mules 
rearing, kicking, and plunging, with lan- 
ces bristling, and shields thumping in every 
direction, threatened instant destruction to 
each component member of the dense mass, 
which, crowded and locked fast together,, 
streamed at a rapid trot after the king with- 
out the slightest order or regularity, save 
such as was preserved by the exertions of 
the shield-bearers, who rode immediately 
behind. The occasional passage of plough- 
ed land, producing a suffocating cloud of 
dust, served still more to increase the con- 
fusion, which had reached its climax when 
a rivulet intersected the line of march. 
Steep perpendicular banks and treacherous 
channels opposing the extended front of 
the legion, and checking advance, a sim- 
ultaneous exertion was made to gain the 
only practicable fords, which were in an 
instant filled to choking. The fiercest 
struggle for extrication ensued. Numbers 
floundering in the soft mud, or borne out 
of their saddles by the pressure of the 
crowd, were trampled under foot, while 
those who bestrode the stoutest steeds, 
clearing the way before them by sheer 
strength, forced their weaker neighbors to 
incline to the right and to the left like frail 
reeda before the rush of the mountain deer. 

The morning was bitterly cold. The 
hoar frost lay thick and white upon the 
meadows ; and as the rabble host trampled 



THE GALLA PLAINS— THE ATTACK. 



177 



over the crisp grass toward the high range 
of Garra Gorphoo, which at the distance of 
a few miles rose to the height of twelve or 
fifteen hundred feet, the breath arose heavy 
from the nostril of man and beast, like a 
cloud of smoke, mixing with the dark 
columns of dust which followed the clat- 
tering hoofs of neighing war-rsteeds. Du- 
ring the first hour's advance up the valley, 
reports were continually being brought in, 
and messenger after messenger galloping 
off in every direction ; and as the foot of 
the mountain was gained, Ayto Berkie, 
with a large detachment of the men of 
Bulga, leaving the main body, moved upon 
the left, while the king struck up the steep 
face of the range in the centre of an ex- 
tended line of men, who scoured every hill 
and hollow, and beat every nook and corner 
at a rapid pace. 

Stretching thirty miles in length by 
about twelve or fifteen in breadth, the 
mountains of Garra Gorphoo, covered 
throughout with one sheet of rich cultiva- 
tion, form the water-shed between the Nile 
and the Hawash. The various rivulets 
that on either side wind down toward the 
parent streams, intersect it into hundreds 
of verdant valleys, on the swelling slopes 
of which the white-roofed houses of se- 
cluded Galla hamlets peep forth among 
dark green groves of juniper and acacia, 
that add beauty to the fair prospect. Re- 
freshed by the cool breeze, these tropical 
highlands are inhabited by the Serite tribe, 
who, long in a state of open rebellion, had 
rendered themselves doubly obnoxious to 
the despot's vengeance by attacking a de- 
tachment of Amhara the preceding year, 
of whom, while entangled in a morass near 
the foot of the range, eight hundred men 
were slain. The day of retribution had at 
length arrived. The object of the expedi- 
tion, hitherto so carefully concealed, was 
now fully developed ; and the military dis- 
positions for sweeping destruction appeared 
to be right skilfully made. 

Hurrying onward with ominous rapidity, 
destroying all who fell in their path, and 
with their weapons goading forward the 
herds of sleek cattle which teemed in every 
valley, the wild host now poured like an 
overwhelming torrent down the flowery 
slopes of inumbrated hollows — now breast- 
ed the steep sunny acclivity like flames 
driver! before the wind — and now wound 
in Indian file along the edges of cliffs af- 
fording scanty footing for a wild-cat, where 
the loose soil, crumbling at every step, left 
the naked precipitous rock as the only 
available passage. Far and wide the crops 
were laid prostrate as if beaten down un- 



der the violence of the hurricane ; and be- 
fore ten o'clock the highest pinnacle of the 
green range having been crowned, a wide 
prospect burst upon the gaze. 

A succession of richly cultivated plains 
dotted over with clusters of conical white 
houses, in parts surrounded by clumps of 
towering junipers, stretched away from the 
foot, the very picture of peace and plenty. 
Embosomed between the isolated peaks of 
Yerrur, Sequala, and the far-famed Entot- 
to, lay the wide plain of Germama, thickly 
peopled by the Ekka and Finfinni Galla, 
upon whose doomed heads the thunderbolt 
was next to fall ; and full in its centre two 
placid silver lakes, like great mirrors, re- 
flected back the rays of the morning sun 
across sheets of luxuriant cultivation, ex- 
tending for miles, nearly ready for the 
sickle. Far beyond, the long wooded line 
of the Hawash, rolling its troubled waters 
toward the plain of the Ada'iel, loomed in- 
distinctly through the haze ; and in the 
extreme distance, the lofty blue range of 
the Aroosi and Ittoo Galla, skirting the 
mysterious regions of Gurague, bounded 
the almost interminable prospect. 

The morning mist, loaded with dust 
raised by the tramp of the Amhara steeds 
over acres of ploughed land, hung heavy 
on the heather-grown slopes, and partially 
screening the approach of the locust army,, 
conspired to enhance its success. Twenty 
thousand brawny warriors, in three divis- 
ions, covering many miles of country, and 
linked by detachments in every direction, 
pressed on toward the inviting goal — their 
hearts burning with the implacable hatred 
of hostile barbarians, and panting to con- 
summate their bloody revenge. Taken en- 
tirely by surprise, their devoted victims lay 
helplessly before them, indulging in fatal 
dreams of happiness and security, alas ! 
too speedily to be dispelled. Hundreds of 
cattle grazed in tempting herds over the 
flowery meads. Unconscious of danger, 
the unarmed husbandman pursued his 
peaceful occupation in the field ; his wife 
and children carolled blithely over their 
ordinary household avocations ; and the 
ascending sun shone bright on smiling val- 
leys, which, long before his going down, 
were left tenanted only by the wolf and the 
vulture. 

Preceded by the holy ark of St. Michael, 
veiled under its scarlet canopy, the king 
still led the van, closely attended by the 
father confessor, and by a band of priests, 
with whom having briefly conferred, he 
turned toward the expectant army, and pro- 
nounced the ominous words which were 
the well-known signal for carrying fire and 



178 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



sword through the land — " May the God 
who is the God of my forefathers, strength- 
en and absolve !" Rolling on like the 
waves of the mighty ocean, down poured 
the Amhara host among the rich glades 
and rural hamlets, at the heels of the fly- 
ing inhabitants — trampling under foot the 
fields of ripening corn, in parts half reaped, 
and sweeping before them the vast herds 
of cattle which grazed untended in every 
direction. When far beyond the range of 
vision, their destructive progress was still 
marked by the red flames that burst forth 
in turn from the thatched roofs of each in- 
vaded village ; and the havoc committed 
many miles to the right by the division of 
Abogaz Maretch, who was advancing par- 
allel to the main body, and had been re- 
inforced by the detachment under Ayto 
Shishigo, became equally manifest in nu- 
merous columns of white smoke, towering 
upward to the azure firmament in rapid 
succession. 

The embassy followed close in the train 
of the negoos, who halted for a few minutes 
on the eastern face of the range ; and the 
eye of the despot gleamed bright with in- 
ward satisfaction, while watching through 
a telescope the progress of the flanking 
detachments, as they poured impetuously 
down the steep side of the mountain, and 
swept across the level plain with the fray 
of the blast of the sirocco. A rapid detour 
thence to the westward, in an hour dis- 
closed the beautifully secluded valley of 
Finfinni, which, in addition to the artificial 
advantage of high cultivation, and snug 
hamlets, boasted a large share of natural 
beauty. Meadows of the richest green turf, 
sparkling clear rivulets leaping down in 
sequestered cascades, with shady groves of 
the most magnificent juniper lining the 
slopes, and waving their moss-grown 
branches above cheerful groups of circular 
wigwams, surrounded by implements of 
agriculture, proclaimed a district which 
had long escaped the hand of wrath. This 
had been selected as the spot for the royal 
plunder and spoliation, and the troops, ani- 
mated by the presence of the monarch, now 
performed their bloody work with a sharp 
and unsparing knife — firing village after 
village until the air was dark with their 
smoke mingled with the dust raised by the 
impetuous rush of man and horse. 

The luckless inhabitants, taken quite by 
surprise, had barely time to abandon their 
property, and fly for their lives to the fast- 
ness of Entotto, which reared its protect- 
ing form at the distance of a few miles. 
The spear of the warrior searched every 
bush for the hunted foe . Women and girls 



were torn from their hiding to be hurried 
into hopeless captivity. Old men and young 
were indiscriminately slain and mutilated 
among the fields and groves ; flocks and 
herds were driven off in triumph, and house 
after house was sacked and consigned to 
the flames. Each grim Amhara warrior 
vied with his comrade in the work of retri- 
butive destruction among, the execrated 
Galla. Whole groups and families were 
surrounded and speared within the walled 
court-yards, which were strewed with the 
bodies of the slain. Wretches who betook 
themselves to the open plain were pursued 
and hunted down like wild beasts ; and 
children of three and four years of age, 
who had been placed in the trees with the 
hope that they might escape observation, 
were included in the inexorable massacre, 
and pitilessly shot among the branches. 
In the course of two hours the division left 
the desolated valley laden with spoil, and 
carrying with them numbers of wailing 
females and mutilated orphan children, 
together with the barbarous trophies that 
had been stripped from the mangled bodies 
of their murdered victims. 

The hoarse scream of the vulture, as 
she wheeled in funereal circles over this ap- 
palling scene of carnage and devastation, 
mingled with the crackling of falling roofs 
and rafters from the consuming houses, 
alone disturbed the grave-like silence of 
the dreary and devoted spot, so lately re- 
sounding to the fiendish shouts and war- 
whoops of the excited warriors, and to the 
unpitied groans of their helpless captives. 
And as the exulting barbarians, followed 
by the curses of the homeless fugitives in 
Entotto, crossed the last range, gloomy 
columns of smoke rising thick and dense 
to the darkened heavens, for miles in every 
direction, proclaimed that this recently so 
flourishing and beautiful location had in a 
few brief hours been utterly ruined, pil- 
laged, and despoiled, as far as the means of 
ruthless and savage man could effect its 
destruction. 

The royal division crossed the deep vale 
of Finfinni by a most dangerous and diffi- 
cult defile, leading over the bed of the 
principal torrent, which winds through an 
extensive belt of dark juniper forest, of 
truly magnificent growth. Lofty pinelike 
tree's, hoary with the moss of centuries, 
towered above banks that rose some "hun- 
dred feet almost perpendicularly, and were 
clothed throughout with tangled under- 
growth. A huge fragment of porphyry, 
nearly choking the straitened descent, af- 
forded barely sufficient room for the pas- 
sage of a single horseman, while a sue- 



THE BOOTY— NOCTURNAL BIVOUAC. 



179 



cession of slippery rocks and treacherous 
pools filled up the channel to the opposite 
baiiA, steep, abrupt, and wooded. 

Loud shouts drowned the pleasing mur- 
mur of a splashing waterfall ; and so great 
was the confusion caused by the crush of 
men, horses, and mules, mingled with 
frightened droves of oxen and sheep, all 
struggling tumultously toward the only 
outlet, that many accidents occurred. 
Horses and riders were forced over the 
precipice — others were trampled under 
foot by the overwhelming rush from behind, 
and a handful of resolute men might with 
ease have kept at bay the whole rabble ar- 
my of the invader. But the Abyssinian 
system of warfare consists in surprise, 
murder, and butchery, not in battle or fair 
conflict. The king continued to advance 
rapidly without the smallest check, and 
being escorted only by a few fusileers of 
the body-guard, carrying each two rounds 
of ammunition, was necessarily much ex- 
posed ; but confident in the terror with 
which his meteor-like descent would in- 
spire his unwary foes, no dispositions were 
made for the security of his person, in the 
event of resistance or surprise. 

Emerging from the forest which extend- 
ed two miles beyond the Finfinni defile, 
the scattered forces began to rendezvous 
around the state umbrellas, now unfurled, 
to which they were directed by the inces- 
sant beating of kettle-drums. While the 
work of destruction still continued to rage 
on all sides, herd after herd of lowing 
beeves came pouring toward the royal 
standard, and each new foraging party 
brought with it fresh groups of captive 
women and girls, and the barbarous tokens 
of their prowess. Some of the more brag- 
gart warriors affecting inability to return 
their blood-stained blades to the scabbard, 
pompously carried them in the hand un- 
sheathed, and even the boyish arms of some 
of the most effeminate of the royal pages 
had proved victorious over a defenceless 
victim. The slaughter had been immense. 
Every desolated court-yard was crowded 
with the bodies of the slain — childhood 
and decrepit age had fared alike ; and the 
murderers, unconscious of the disgrace 
attaching to unmanly deeds, unblushingly 
heralded their shame, and, detailing their 
deeds of cruelty, basked in the smiles of 
their savage ' and approving monarch, 
whose only eye became at times frightful- 
ly wild with excitement, although his de- 
meanor throughout the long day of horrors 
had been cool and self-possessed from the 
experience acquired during eighty-four 
similar foravs. 



After a brief halt, the march was resum- 
ed through the country of the Ekka Galla, 
which was clean swept with the besom of 
destruction ; and the distinguishing green 
sprig of asparagus in the woolly heads 
of successful cavaliers, became more and 
more numerous as the eventful day drew 
on to its close. The sun at length dis- 
appeared behind the western mountains, 
toward which the course of the army was 
directed ; and night, casting her sable 
mantle over the dismal scene, stayed the 
arm of the warrior. During fourteen hours 
passed in the saddle, above fifty miles of 
country had been passed over ; and the 
weary forces finally halted in the Ekka val- 
ley, without possessing the smallest idea 
of the position of the rear division, with 
the tents and baggage, to the leader of 
which no clue had been afforded as to the 
royal intentions. 

Horses and mules were now turned 
loose among the standing beans, and sev- 
eral thousand head of cattle, tired to death 
with the distance they had been driven 
from their wonted pastures, were, with 
infinite difficulty, collected in a hollow, 
girdled on three sides by a deep ravine. It 
was closed on the fourth by a steep accliv- 
ity, on the summit of which the king, sur- 
rounded by his chieftains, took up his 
position for the night. His majesty, al- 
though fasting throughout the day, sent 
his only loaf to be eaten by " his children ;" 
and looking forth upon the fruits of his 
masterly foray, seemed, in the contempla- 
tion of the amassed herds, to be insensi- 
ble alike to the cold wintry blast, and to 
the long calls of hunger. 

A wilder scene can scarcely be im- 
agined that that presented by the nocturnal 
bivouac of the locust-like army of the Am- 
hara, flushed by its recent success. Loud 
whoops and yells, arising from every quar- 
ter of the wide valley, mingled with the 
incessant lowing of kine, the bleating of 
sheep, the shrill neighing of the war-steed, 
and the occasional wailing of some captive 
maid, subjected to the brutality of her un- 
feeling possessor. Groups of grim war- 
riors, their hands imbrued in the innocent 
blood of infancy, and their stern features 
lighted by the fitful flame, chuckling over 
the barbarous spoils they had won, vaunted 
their inhuman exploits, as they feasted 
greedily on raw and reeking carcasses. 
Spears and bucklers gleamed brightly 
around hundreds of bale-fires, composed of 
rafters stripped from the surrounding 
houses ; and the whole distant landscape, 
red from the lurid glare reflected by scores 
of crackling hamlets, completed a picture 



180 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



worthy the pencil of the artist who delights 
in the delineation of brutal revelry. No 
sentry paced the environs of the straggling 
encampment — no watchword challenged 
the tramp of the man-at-arms. The deep 
hum of thousands gradually waned and 
died away, and each composed himself to 
slumber on the spot where his carousal 
had been held. A pall, constructed with 
spears supporting a cotton robe, screened 
the person of the negoos ; and so long as 
the biting cold would permit, his British 
guests slept at broken intervals upon the 
bare ground, amid the gorged and weary 
warriors, the saddle of each serving for a 
pillow — 

" The earth his bed, his canopy the sky." 



CHAPTER LXIX. 

THE ROYAL ACHIEVEMENT. 

Welcome to all was the first gray light 
that illumined the eastern sky, and summon- 
ed the warrior from his uneasy slumbers. 
So uncomfortably had the night been pass- 
ed, that it was in truth rest to rise. The 
despot was among the first to abandon his 
cold couch ; and a bulletin of success hav- 
ing been penned by the royal hand, for the 
information of Queen Besabesh, the main 
body of the division, convoying the inter- 
minable droves of cattle, was in motion 
across the Ekka valley. Escorted by five 
thousand cavalry, his majesty then pro- 
ceeded to a knoll at some distance within 
the scene of yesterday's carnage, upon the 
summit of which he tarried, while parties 
went out in search of the body of his grand- 
nephew, the youthful son of Ayto Besueh- 
nech, who, with several others of the 
Christian host, had fallen in the running 
conflict. 

It was a cool and lovely morning, and 
the mountain breeze played freshly down 
each opening glade. The ascending sun- 
beam danced over the steep rugged sides 
and ruined stone edifices of the fastness 
of Entotto, anciently the proud seat of 
Ethiopic splendor, and still believed to 
conceal much of the wealth lost to the 
empire at the period of Graan's invasion, 
when Nebla Dengel was driven into Tigre. 
The great volcanic cone of Sequala, rival- 
ling the lowland Aiulloo, again towered in 
the distance, its once fiery crater converted 
by the revolutions of ages into an exten- 
sive lagoon, on the banks of which stands 
the celebrated shrine of Guebra Manfas 
Kedoos, a saint renowned for the destruc- 



tion by his prayers of five hundred genies. 
On the other hand frowned the dark wood- 
ed slave mart of Roque, in the Yerrur hill, 
where millions of Christians have been 
bought and sold ; and on the other rose the 
mountain Dalacha, sacred to the Wato 
sorcerers, whose tempting demesnes have 
escaped pillage and conflagration, in con- 
sequence of their blessing having been 
followed by the birth of Sahela Selassie. 
Far in the distance a low belt of vegetation 
screened the sleepy Hawash, whose idle 
waters throughout the long tortuous course 
encounter no impediment; and over the 
intervening tract numerous tributaries to 
the Casam, absorbed eventually in the 
parched plain of the Adai'el, conveyed the 
eastern drainage of Garra Gorphoo through 
the ravaged valley of Germama. 

Over this wide expanse not a living in- 
habitant was now to be seen. In every 
direction the blood-stained ground was 
strewed with the slaughtered foe, around 
whose, mutilated corses groups of surfeited 
vultures flapped their foul wings, and 
screamed the death-note. The embers of 
deserted villages smouldered over the 
scorched and blackened plain. Ripe crops, 
which the morning before had gladdened 
the heart of the cultivator — now no more 
— were level with the ground. Flocks of 
sheep, untended by the shepherd, strayed 
over the lone meadow ; and bands of howl- 
ing dogs wandered up and down in fruit- 
less quest of their lost masters. A single 
day had reduced to a waste wilderness the 
entire rich and flourishing vale of Germa- 
ma, including the dark forests of Finfinni, 
which, for years, had slept in peace ; and 
their late numerous and unsuspecting popu- 
lation, had in a few hours been swept from 
off" the face of the earth by the devastating 
irruption of the barbarian Amhara hordes. 

The mutilated remains of the fallen chief 
having, after much search, been recovered 
from the ashes of a still smoking village,, 
were shrouded with a white cloth, and 
borne upon a bier from the scene of deso- 
lation. Glutted with booty, the despot now 
left his locusts to pursue their own course 
up the Ekka valley, where flames and 
plunder again marked the straggling return 
toward the mountains of Garra Gorphoo. 
Each hamlet was ravaged in succession ; 
and cats, the sole remaining tenants of the 
deserted huts, were dislodged by the torch 
of the Wobo. 

For miles and miles, the road was lined 
with dusty and wayworn warriors laden 
with spoil: flocks and herds, donkeys, 
mules, and horses, honey-combs, poultry, 
household utensils and farming gear, with 



APPALLING RETRIBUTION— ROYAL PROWESS. 



181 



captive women and children, indiscrimi- 
nately mingled with the men-at-arms. 
While some of these latter, wounded and 
mutilated, were lashed upon the backs of 
their palfreys, others, dismounted, were 
dragging behind them their lame and ex- 
hausted steeds ; sheep and goats, unable, 
through fatigue, to proceed, being cut 
limb from limb while still alive, and the 
bleeding trunks left quivering in the path 
by the wanton butchers. 

Reentering the mountains, over which 
the sun, now low in the horizon, had cast 
the long dark shadows of evening, the 
camp was sought in vain ; but the rear 
division, with tents and baggage, was at 
length descried pouring down the opposite 
height under a vast canopy of dust to the 
encamping ground at Boora Roofa. A 
long march the preceding day had brought 
it to Sululta near to Moolo Falada, where 
it met and destroyed those who had fled 
from the immediate scene of the king's in- 
road, made numerous female captives, and, 
with the loss of the sumpter horses laden 
with horns of hydromel, acquired consider- 
able booty ; information casually received 
of the main division having thence led it. 
back through the mountains to the present 
halting ground, after all had made up their 
minds to another cold bivouac in the open 
lir. During its more recent progress this 
division had carried fire and sword through 
5he country of the Sertie Galla, where it 
yet remained unplundered ; and, as the day 
igain closed, the vault of heaven was re- 
tllumined by volumes of lurid smoke from 
the surrounding hamlets. 

Such is the appalling retribution with 
which Sahela Selassie is wont to visit those 
rebel tribes who withhold the moderate 
tribute that has been imposetkppon them. 
The relinquishment to the crown of three 
or four hundred of the many thousand head 
of cattle captured during this and the pre- 
ceding day, would, with some twenty or 
thirty horses, have averted this severe chas- 
tisement, the fearful consequence of taxes 
refused. The revolt of tribes inhabiting 
remote portions of his majesty's dominions 
arises too frequently from the oppression 
of Galla governors, over whose proceed- 
ings he can exercise very inadequate con- 
trol ; but it is caused in a principal degree 
by the absence of outpost or fortification to 
hold his wild subjects in check. Could he 
be prevailed upon to abandon his present 
weak mode of securing the Galla depend- 
encies, to strengthen them by those mili- 
tary arrangements for which the country 
is so peculiarly adapted, and to place a bet- 
ter limit upon the exactions of frontier gov- 



ernors, what bloodshed and misery might 
not be averted ! 

The army halted at Boora Roofa to ena- 
ble straggling detachments to rejoin ; and 
small parties went out in various direc- 
tions to complete the work of demolition 
among the deserted hamlets of the Sertie 
tribe, some of which, embosomed deep 
among the mountain glens, had hitherto 
escaped attention : hives of ungathered 
honey, heaps of unwinnowed corn, and the 
half-flayed carcass abandoned within the 
filthy habitation, bearing ample testimony 
to the precipitate flight of the hunted in- 
mates, around many of whose bodies gaunt 
vultures already held their carnival. 

Early during the forenoon, horsemen 
rode in to the royal pavilion with important 
intelligence that Ayto Hierat, a favorite 
governor, had, at the distance of a few 
miles, surprised and surrounded a Galla in 
a tree, among the branches of which the 
caitifFawaited the arrival of the king. Im- 
patient to wreathe his brow with new lau- 
rels, the monarch lost not a moment in 
sallying forth to destroy the unfortunate 
wretch, taking a most formidable array of 
single and double-barrelled guns and rifles 
of every calibre, together with an escort 
of five thousand cavalry. 

Receiving a long shot through the thigh 
at the royal hands, while imperfectly en- 
sconced among the foliage, the victim, 
abandoning all hope of escape, wisely cast 
away his weapons, and cried loudly for 
quarter ; being admitted to which, he kissed 
the feet of his majesty, and thus escaped 
mutilation on the spot. To take the life 
of a Galla, and to secure a prisoner of ei- 
ther sex, are, in Amhara warfare, account- 
ed one and the same thing ; and although, 
where adult males are concerned, the more 
merciful alternative is rarely adopted, the 
despot, whose dreams often conjure up his 
past deeds of blood in judgment against 
him, has become more lenient than of yore. 
Yet the valuable presents which the de- 
struction of a helpless foe entitles him 
from every governor in the realm, the in- 
creased respect acquired in the eyes of his 
subjects and warriors, and the additional 
lustre shed over his already chivalrous re- 
putation by each new murder, however 
foul, induce hirn still to seek occasions 
such as this to imbrue his hands in gore. 

Messenger after messenger now gal- 
loped into camp at full speed, with the 
joyful tidings of success; each new an- 
nouncement eliciting yet louder and louder 
songs and shouts from the wotzbeitoch, eu- 
nuchs, and parasites at the royal quarters. 
In another hour the cavalcade returned in 



182 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



triumph, the wounded captive riding on a 
mule behind the exulting monarch, who, 
by virtue of his bold exploit, wore in the 
hair a large green branch of wild aspara- 
gus, while the greasy garment of his bleed- 
ing prisoner graced the proud neck of his 
war-steed. Repeated vollies of musketry, 
with the blasts of horns, and the din of 
kettle drums, proclaimed the signal prowess 
of his Christian majesty. Priests and wo- 
men flocked to receive him with a clamor 
of acclamation, and he alighted amid the 
most stunning uproar. 

Through the master of the horse a mes- 
sage was presently received, to the effect 
that the attendance of every member of the 
embassy had been looked for ; the Galla 
having been entrapped purposely that his 
destruction might be accomplished by the 
hand of the British visitors, in view to the 
exaltation of the national name. "Why 
tarried ye in the tent ? I desired that my 
children might kill the heathen in the tree ; 
but. when they came not, I myself perform- 
ed the deed." 

The puissant monarch was informed in 
reply, " that, independently of its being the 
Sabbath, and none of the party possessing 
the smallest inclination to destroy a de- 
fenceless human being under any circum- 
stances, no public body was authorized by 
the law of nations to draw a sword offen- 
sively in any country not in open hostility 
with its own. That an elephant was es- 
teemed equivalent to forty armed Galla, 
and a wild buffalo to five ; and of these 
much-dreaded animals, his guests were 
ready to destroy any number that he might 
think proper to- permit." 

Great was the triumph and the quaffing 
of mead, and the feasting on raw beef, du- 
ring the residue of the day and the early 
hours of the night, for lo ! the king of kings 
in single combat had prevailed over his 
Galla foe. Ess^jtial assistance had been 
afforded by the embassy to the sick and 
wounded ; among the latter, to a brother 
of the queen ; yet many reproaches were 
now abroad, in that its members had eaten 
the royal bread, and destroyed none of the 
enemies of the state. The example of 
other foreigners, who were represented to 
have shot Galla out of trees, was contrast- 
ed somewhat unfavorably to British cour- 
age ; and a private of the artillery escort 
was roundly taxed with cowardice for per- 
mitting the escape of an unarmed peasant, 
who lay concealed in a bush by the way- 
side, and could have offered no resistance. 
The defenceless wretch was subsequently 
pursued by thirty Ambara horsemen, but 



escaped unscathed on foot into the forest, 
under a shower of their Christian lances. 

In all countries where a martial spirit is 
fostered by continual forays, and where the 
exertions of a single day are sufficient to 
maintain the successful marauder for six 
months to come, the daily unceasing labor 
of the cultivator is forsaken for the shield 
and spear. But in Abyssinia, where the 
principal booty is monopolized by the mon- 
arch, the case is widely different, since, 
although military expeditions are of fre- 
quent occurrence, the sword of the plun- 
derer is as often turned again into the 
ploughshare — while the despoiled hus- 
bandman, again tilling his devastated lands, 
and occupying the brief intervals of peace 
and repose in agricultural and pastoral 
pursuits, the fair provinces of the Galla, 
flowing with milk and honey, are speedily 
reclothed in one sheet of luxuriant culti- 
vation. 

The Abyssinians have been represented 
as a bold, martial, and chivalrous race ; but 
in Shoa, the " soldiers of the Cross " are 
impelled by none of that knightly valor 
which warmed the breast of the crusader 
of old. The white feather, that emblem 
of cowardice in other lands, forms the boast 
of their murderous exploits among infants 
of tender years ; and the system of the 
noble art of war would seem to consist in 
the merciless destruction of the enemy by 
sudden inroad and surprise. Harrying- the 
invaded country with overwhelming mass- 
es of undisciplined cavalry, the only oppo- 
sition to be encountered is an occasional 
skirmish during the night with an outlying 
detachment, or by day during the passage 
of a weak body through morasses or intri- 
cate defiles. The appearance of a foe in- 
variably areves the signal for increased 
disorder, wn. who are so disposed sallying 
forth to the assault, when those who harbor 
animosity against a comrade, not unfre- 
quently avail themselves of the opportu- 
nity to assassinate him in the mtlie. 

Cruelties emanating from the hereditary 
detestation of the heathen, which, with the 
barbarous spoils earned during the foray, 
is handed down as an heir-loom from gene- 
ration to generation, are unfortunately- 
countenanced by the monarch, who has 
too often destroyed a defenceless fugitive 
with his own hand, and personally set the 
disgraceful example of mutilation ; while 
the bigotry and superstition of the savage 
Amhara induces him to regard every pa- 
gan in the light of a dog, as doth the fan- 
atic Moslem the Christian. The revolting 
barbarities practiced in the hour of victory, 
which from time immemorial have had ex- 



REVOLTING BARBARITIES— INSIGNIA OF VALOR. 



183 



istence'in Ethiopia, and unfortunately also 
over the: greater portion of unhappy Africa 
to which discovery has yet extended, are 
perpetuated by the commission of similar 
enormities on the part of the Galla usurp- 
ers of the fairest portions of the land, who 
butcher children and old men without dis- 
tinction, mutilate all who fall into their 
hands, and enslave females upon every 
opportunity. 

The stimulus afforded by individual in- 
terest in the slaughter committed during 
the foray, stands at present in the place 
of discipline, since without one or the other 
no army could be brought into the field. 
Triumph attends the return of the Chris- 
tian warrior from battle in proportion to 
the number of lives he bears upon his arm, 
and for each enemy slain he is entitled to 
some conspicuous personal badge, which 
forms his greatest pride. A ring, a gaunt- 
let, or a bracelet, gained at the expense of 
acts the most dastardly, raises him accord- 
ingly in the estimation of relatives and 
companions in arms, and signal success 
almost invariably paves the way to royal 
preferment. 

Monstrous and appalling crimes are dic- 
tated by the desire to obtain the insignia 
of valor, and of these, instances of very 
recent occurrence are matter of notoriety. 
An Amhara of rank, unable to obtain 
among the enemies of the state the much 
coveted trophy, in cold blood mutilated the 
unsuspecting husband of his own sister, 
whom he found at disadvantage ; but not 
long afterward, to his amazement, the un- 
happy man, whom he left for dead, pre- 
sented himself like a shade from another 
world, and, falling at the footstool of the 
throne, cried aloud for justice. To the 
honor of his majesty be it recorded, that 
the ruffian was publicly executed at An- 
gollala, and that similar retribution pursued 
a second fiend in human form, who, under 
like circumstances, had proceeded to muti- 
late his henchman. "Master," said the 
defenceless menial, imploringly, "I have 
served you faithfully for seven years — how 
can you treat me thus ?" " Thou wilt 
serve me better this day than thou hast 
ever done before," replied the brute, as he 
completed the black deed — ' ; Wouldst thou 
have me to return home in disgrace, thou 
eater of bread ?"* 

Discipline alone can check the prevail- 
ing barbarity, by superseding desultory, 
hand-to-hand combat, and keeping every 
soldier in such comparative ignorance of 



* Injra bullal, eater of bread, a common term of 
abuse for the idle 



the number that fall to his individual prow- 
ess, as to preclude the vaunting of exploits. 
To those who have been eye-witnesses of 
the foray, it must afford matter for deep 
regret that feud and contest should hitherto 
so successfully have debarred access to 
the interior, and should have checked the 
advance of Christianity and civilization, 
which, as in happier lands, must bring 
with them the means of providing for re- 
dundant population, and could not fail to 
ameliorate the horrors attendant upon the 
existing system of Abyssinian warfare. 



CHAPTER LXX. 

LIBERATION OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR. 

During the more than usually success- 
ful, though harrowing and bloody campaign 
of the Amhara host, an opportunity was 
afforded of laying down, as scientifically 
as very limited time would permit, an ex- 
tensive and most interesting tract of coun- 
try hitherto undescribed — not to be explor- 
ed by the adventurous but single traveller, 
and only to be visited under the peculiar 
advantages afforded to the British embassy 
by the despotic negoos. It formed a source 
of extreme disappointment, that this ac- 
quaintance should not have extended to 
the lake Zooai, as anticipated from the 
manifesto originally promulgated at Mach- 
al-wans ; but Ayto Berri, many years quar- 
ter-master-general of the royal troops, who, 
in his quondam capacity of Mohammadan 
rover, had often visited that famous ex- 
panse of water, strongly discountenanced 
the contemplated measure of molesting the 
inoffensive inhabitants of its five islands — 
mixed Christians and pagans living in pro- 
found peace with each other, and with eve- 
ry surrounding neighbor. To his advice 
may in some measure be ascribed the al- 
teration in the king's intentions : but the 
argument which had more weight with his 
majesty than the harmless attributes of the 
population, was based on the dense and 
difficult character of the extensive forests, 
swarming with Galla and with wild beasts, 
through which the army must pass, after 
crossing the pillaged valley of Germama. 

The Christian camp at Boora Roofa was 
crowded with disconsolate groups of hea- 
then captives, many with infants at their 
backs, and nearly all in a state of nudity, 
with long raven tresses streaming wildly 
over their shoulders. Hopeless slavery 
was theirs, but influenced by the earnest 
remonstrance of the embassy, aided by the 



184 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



active and reverend missionary, Dr. Krapf, 
whom philanthropic feelings had enabled 
to endure the uncongenial atmosphere of 
ignorance and unbelief — whom the purest 
and most praiseworthy motives had induced 
to obey the royal summons to the field, and 
who, from his long experience, knew when 
to touch the latent spark of mercy, the 
king wiped out the foul stain of the pre- 
ceding day by consenting to liberate the 
whole. Ere the nugareets sounded the re- 
turn of the troops, a proclamation went 
forth commanding the immediate release 
of every prisoner of war ; and as the dis- 
satisfied army turned its back upon the 
valley, long files of widowed dames and 
fatherless girls were to be seen hurrying 
in freedom across the hill toward their des- 
olate hearths, overjoyed at the sudden and 
unexpected restoration of their lost liberty 
through the white man's intercession — the 
ruthless soldiery, disappointed at the loss 
of their booty, having previously stripped 
the last covering from all, and sent them 
forth naked as they came into this world. 

This signal victory over savage ferocity 
was followed by a long march to the river 
Alelta, a tributary to the Nile, and form- 
ing near the encampment lake Sertie, a 
full mile in diameter, bounded by low hills 
of trachyte and porphyry. A web of deep 
miry ravines, shut in by high crumbling 
banks, presented a wet and slippery foot- 
ing, and many were the disasters that be- 
fell the demure dames of the royal kitchen. 
Wicker parasols might be seen floating 
down the current as the luckless proprietor 
struggled in the black slimy mud among 
mules and war-steeds, or emerged in truly 
pitiable condition to be censured by their 
austere guardians, who, horror-stricken, 
had witnessed from above the absence of 
all order and decorum. 

Each moment rendered the treacherous 
passage more and more impracticable, and 
it was not difficult to understand how, in 
the month of June the preceding year, the 
spot should have proved the grave of eight 
hundred of the Amhara cavalry. At that 
season the country, flooded for many miles 
around, becomes one great quagmire which 
is not to be crossed without extreme cau- 
tion. Before the king had passed with the 
main body of the victorious troops escort- 
ing immense plunder, the Sertie Galla, 
taking advantage of superior knowledge 
of the locality, completely cut off the van 
of the army, consisting of the Mentshar 
and Bulga detachments. They had be- 
come entangled in the mazy labyrinth, and 
were massacred to a man ere assistance 
could be rendered by the matchlockmen 



of the body-guard, who did not reach the 
ground until the enemy were in full re- 
treat. 

His majesty's object in now revisiting 
the scene of this catastrophe was suffi- 
ciently obvious. No sooner had the impe- 
rial cavalcade halted among the bleached 
skeletons of the fallen warriors, than cham- 
pions, whose steeds were distinguished by 
greasy garments stripped from the bodies 
of Galla victims, caricoled proudly in front 
of the state umbrellas, brandishing their 
bright weapons aloft, exhibiting the spoils 
that had been won during the recent bloody 
foray ; and after a detail of their individual 
exploits, shouting defiance to the humbled 
Sertie. The wild triumphal exhibition 
concluding after half an hour, a band of 
music advanced, and continued to play un- 
til the pavilion had been prepared for the 
royal reception. 

Early the ensuing morning, the king 
sent confidentially to inquire if none of his 
guests could divine whether the day were 
propitious to the advance of the army — a 
point upon which he felt somewhat dubi- 
ous. The confession of lamentable want 
of skill in augury was succeeded by a 
march of sixteen miles to Ellulee Jidda, 
over a monotonous landscape of swelling 
downs and shallow valleys, intersected by 
streamlets that had scooped deep channels 
in the loose black soil. The stately relict 
of a deceased Galla chieftain rode through 
the ranks with her tribute in horses and 
kine, and experienced a most gallant re- 
ception at the hands of the monarch. She 
might have sat for the portrait of La Belle 
Sauvage, but the grease wherein the per- 
son of the handsome dame was embedded 
tended, unfortunately, to destroy the ro- 
mance inseparable from her Amazonian 
appearance and feudal condition. 

'Various triumphant detachments also 
met the royal cortege en route, the chiefs 
and victorious warriors careering in suc- 
cession before the van of the army, with 
barbarous tokens of blood dangling from 
the right arm, and green sprigs of aspara- 
gus waving above their dishevelled and 
newly greased locks. Prisoners were seat- 
ed behind the cruppers of some of the more 
merciful, and the flank of each gray steed 
was dyed with clotted human gore. A 
short rambling recitative, expressive of 
loyalty and devotion in the field, was fol- 
lowed by savage yells and whoops twice 
or thrice reechoed by their marshalled 
band of followers, when they vaulted light- 
ly from the saddle, prostrated themselves 
on the ground, and galloped off, each in 
his turn, to make way for some new squad- 



AMHARA WAR CHORUS— THE TRIUMPH. 



185 



Ton, whose war-chorus came pealing over 
the hills. 

" Tlie combat's past, the fight is won, 
Then triumph o'er the prostrate foe ; 
The heathen blood has freely run, 
Raise high the chant, Woko, Woko. 

" Let hill and dale return the note, 
Woko, Woko, ayah Woko ; 
Loud ring from everv Christian throat 
The shout of death, Woko, Woko." 

While the army was encamping, the le- 
gion of Ayto Shishigo, rejoining the royal 
division with three thousand head of oxen, 
in like manner reported success and detail- 
ed exploits to the king, who, as usual, oc- 
cupied the summit of an adjacent eminence. 
Tribute was still in a course of dilig-ent 
collection, and greasy Galla chieftains, with 
hair plaited after the model of the lotus 
flower, were flocking with their dues from 
all directions. One refractory village only 
of the Jidda tribe, withholding its impost of 
a single horse, paid the penalty of its folly. 
The inhabitants fled, but their deserted 
houses were sacked and consigned to the 
flames, the stakes and palisades by which, 
in common with every hamlet in this direc- 
tion, it was strongly fortified, affording fuel 
for the royal kitchen, and subsequently a 
scramble to one half of the army. 



CHAPTER LXXI. 

THE TRIUMPH. 

A long march across the Sana Robi, 
next brought the troops to Bel at in the 
neighborhood of Yeolo. His majesty, seat- 
ed upon his cushioned alga, halted fre- 
quently in the wide undulating meadows, 
to witness warlike rehearsals on a still 
more splendid scale ; on the termination of 
which, many of the quotas having received 
their dismissal, dispersed to their respec- 
tive districts, although not until after one 
Amhara soldier had been treacherously 
murdered by a rival comrade, and another 
had been desperately wounded in a trifling 
dispute which resulted in an appeal to arms. 

Before sunrise the ensuing morning the 
victorious troops, reduced by one-third, 
marched upon Angollala, driving exulting- 
ly before them upward of thirty thousand 
head of prize cattle, the entire of which 
were, par excellence, the property of the 
lung. Arrived within sight of the capital, 
strains of martial music burst from the cen- 
tre division, when every throat throughout 
the vast army joined in one deafening cho- 
rus. Half a mile to the south of the Galla 
wall a tent had been erected, to which his 
13 



majesty retiring for a few minutes, arrayed 
his person preparatory to the triumphal en- 
try ; and the various leaders at the head 
of their respective squadrons meanwhile 
took up the position allotted in the coming 
pageant. 

As the state umbrellas, preceded by the 
ark of St. Michael, passed through the An- 
kober gate of the defences, the assembled 
chiefs and warriors who had most distin- 
guished themselves during the successful 
foray, arrayed in the glittering badges of 
former achievements in arms, careered a 
dense body in advance. One hundred gore- 
stained steeds, resplendent with trappings 
and brass ornaments, and fancifully capar- 
isoned in gay cloths and chintz housings, 
bounded and pranced gallantly under this 
chosen band of proud cavaliers, who with 
lances couched, and party-colored robes 
flaunting in the wind, slowly curvetted over 
the verdant carpet of turf, in a dazzling and 
mazy labyrinth of reticulated circles. Their 
glossy black hair streaming with feathers 
and green branches in token of recent tri- 
umph, and their variously emblazoned 
shields, crowded with silver ornaments and 
devices, glancing brightly in the sunbeams, 
they rent the air with shrill whoops and 
yells, responded at frequent intervals by 
loud shouts of welcome which pealed from 
the palace and from all parts of the town i 
while the dense phalanx of warriors in the 
rear — their forest of lances partially ob- 
scured under a thick canopy of dust — press- 
ing tumultuously forward, and howling 
the wildest war-songs from ten thousand 
throats, completed one of the most brilliant 
and savage exhibitions that can be con- 
ceived. 

The king was enrobed in the ample 
spoils of a noble lion, richly ornamented, 
and half concealing beneath their tawny 
folds an embroidered green mantle of In- 
dian manufacture. On his right shoulder 
he wore three chains of gold as symbols of 
the Holy Trinity, and the fresh-plucked 
bough of asparagus, which denoted his re- 
cent exploit, rose from the centre of an 
embossed coronet of silver which encircled 
his regal brow. His dappled war-steed, 
bedizened with chequered housipgs of blue 
and yellow, was led prancing behind him, 
and immediately in advance bounded the 
champion on a coal-black charger, bearing 
the imperial shield of massive, silver, with 
the sacred emblem of Christianity in high 
relief, while his long plaited raven locks 
floated wildly behind over the spotted hide 
of a panther, by which his broad shoulders 
were graced. Abogaz Maretch and Ayto 
Berkie rode on either side of the crimson 



186 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



debaboch, and a marshalled line of shield- 
bearers, under the master of the horse, 
preserved a clear space around the royal 
person, until the cavalcade had gained the 
stockaded knoll upon the summit of which 
the palace is erected. 

Here a deputation of priests, clad in 
snow-white garments, received the victori- 
ous monarch with a blessing, and under a 
volley of musketry his majesty proceeded 
to ascend. The outer court was crowded 
with female slaves, beggars, and menials, 
who on the first appearance of thf> umbrel- 
las within the gate, greeted the royal re- 
turn with the shrillest clamor, and ca^r. 
themselves prostrate in the dust. Fusi- 
leers and matchlockmen of the imperial 
body-guard lined the second palisaded in- 
closure, and under a.feu-de-joie, their lead- 
er, performing the war-dance before the 
holy ark, led the procession to the last in- 
closure, where the king being met by the 
eunuchs of the royal household entered the 
palace by a private door, and surrounded 
by pages and attendants presently took seat 
in a high latticed balcony fronting the in- 
ner quadrangle. 

Full in the centre stood a gigantic drum, 
whereat twelve weird old hags thumped 
unceasingly with crossed hands, keeping- 
time energetically with their feet, while 
under the most frightful contortions and 
gesticulations, they cursed and screamed 
defiance to the enemies of the state. Six- 
ty concubines, their faces besmeared with 
red ochre and grease, and their frizzled locks 
white under a coat of lard, sang and danced 
with increasing vehemence — their shrill 
melody, regulated by the drum, now dwin- 
dling into recitative, now bursting forth into 
a deafening chorus. Around this strange 
group, the dismounted cavaliers formed fif- 
teen deep, and filling the entire court, poised 
each his trophy of blood aloft upon the glit- 
tering point of his lance, and as the whole 
danced, and whooped, and howled like wild 
beasts, warrior after warrior, springing with 
a fiendish yell into the centre of the ring, 
cast his prize contemptuously upon the 
ground, and kissing the dust, did abject 
homage at the feet of the triumphant des- 
pot. 

" Behold ia me the king's great warrior," 
now resounded from every quarter. "lit 
was who slew his enemy in the open field, 
or speared him in ihe open hut. May vic- 
tory ever attend hi& armies in the battle. 
May Sahela Selassie reign for ever !" A 
general shout and clashing of shields, with 
the sudden cessation of the wild music, 
announced the close of this savage pageant 
The curtain dropped before the monarch, 



and, as the actors dispersed rapidly to the 
right and to the left, the discharge of an 
old dismounted iron gun, which, vertically 
elevated against a stone, was revealed at 
the farther extremity of the court, an- 
nounced to the public that the tragedy of 
" the Royal Robber : ' had been performed 
with the most brilliant success, and would 
be repeated again during the season. 

Rumors of the destruction of the entire 
Christian host had flown to Ang&llala, in 
consequence of the negoos having, for the 
first time in his life, passed the night apart 
from his baggage ; and the grief and con- 
sternation which prevailed during six days, 
had only been dispelled by the unexpected 
and triumphant return of the victorious 
army. Evil omens, had, indeed, resounded 
through the departing camp, but destiny 
had been satisfied with a youthful scion 
of the royal stock ■ and, although the weap- 
ons of a lost descendant of the house of 
Solomon adorned the rude walls of the pa- 
gan Galla, still fire and sword had ravaged 
their fair country • and the rich booty with 
which the adjacent meadows were profuse- 
ly dotted, proclaimed a harvest which, du- 
ring thirty years and eighty-four successive 
expeditions, had not been eclipsed in the 
annals of Amhara bloodshed and rapine. 



CHAPTER LXXII. 

NUPTIALS IN HIGH LIFE. 

Ayto Hi'erat's crime brought its own 
punishment. Three days after the return 
of the expedition to Angollala, he was hon- 
ored with the hand of Woizoro Belete 
Shatchau,* a shrew possessing the most 
diabolical of tempers, whom two husbands 
had already divorced, although a princess 
of the blood royal. 

On the morning appointed for the nup- 
tials, the British embassy received an early 
summons to the palace, in order to witness 
the ceremony. The throne was tricked 
out with unusual gayety for the occasion, 
and the king, seated in the highest possible 
spirits, was still in the hands of the barber, 
who, having curled the last lock, was ad- 
justing the green sareti. The court-yard 
was already crowded with spectators, and 
a numerous train of female slaves, who had 
entered by a side-door, were arranging 
themselves in front. The quaint, locse 
chemises of blue and red, with broad white 
borders, which formed the attire of all, im- 
parted a most grotesque appearance, and 



* Anglice, " Superior to all." 



A ROYAL WEDDING— RETALIATION. 



187 



each carried on her woolly head a large 
wicker basket, veiled under bead draperies 
arranged in every variety of fanciful van- 
dyke. These antique figures and their 
burdens constituted the dower of the bride, 
whose wedding garments had been sup- 
plied by the embassy, and who presently 
entered, riding upon a white rpule, gayly 
tricked out in forked housings, chains, and 
brass bells. The Princes? Worka Ferri,* 
her sister, followed upon a second, similarly 
caparisoned ; and botfi ladies were distin- 
guished by large afiabgirs of crimson silk, 
as well as by a co^l of silver network which 
covered the hair, and terminated in a tiara 
of pendants and globules falling over the 
forehead. A crimson-striped robe formed 
the costume of each, and their naturally 
plain faces were rendered hideous by a 
coat of red ochre with blue-stained arches 
in the place of eyebrows, which it is the 
fashion of Shoa to pluck out. 

Next in order came the royal band of 
music, with numerous mounted female at- 
tendants clad in pea-green vests. A dance 
and vocal chorus was continued during a 
quarter of an hour, to the dissonant thun- 
der of the war drum ; and, as the umbrel- 
las filed slowly across the court through 
the opposite wicket, the happy bridegroom 
approached the throne, and did homage to 
the sovereign who had thus rewarded his 
services by alliance. The presence of the 
priest is so far from being held indispen- 
sable, that a wedded pair forms a rare 
phenomenon in Abyssinia. No marriage 
rites whatever solemnized this union, and 
the shrew, in full procession, proceeded 
straightway to spend the honeymoon at 
the abode of her third husband, who, fol- 
lowing at a respectful distance, exhibited 
in his features small anticipation of con- 
jugal felicity. , 

Descending through the great gate, a 
train of dirty cook boys led the van, bear- 
ing on their heads pots, pans, and culinary 
utensils. One hundred female slaves fol- 
lowed, carrying baskets of bread, vessels 
of hydromel, bedding, wearing apparel, 
and other baggage required on the journey. 
Next came the band of flutes, in full play, 
and, immediately behind, the amiable bride 
herself, most aptly styled " superior to all." 
Two maids of honor, bearing decorated 
barilles of choice wines from the royal 
cellars, rode on either side of their mis- 
tress. Numerous mounted Amazons — 
musty-looking Ethiopic figures in blue and 
white smocks, and party-colored bead hel- 
nets, kept the inquisitive crowd at a dis- 



e. Golden Fruit. 

13* 



tance with their long white wands ; while 
an escort of three hundred chosen spear- 
men, flanked by nobles, eunuchs, and pages, 
on horseback, brought up the rear, amid 
the thumping of nugareets from the hill 
top, and the shrill acclamations of the en- 
tire female population of the town, which 
rung from every eminence in honor of the 
nuptials of Princess Belete Shatchau. 

" My Galla subjects revolted," exclaim- 
ed the despot tauntingly, as soon as the 
wedding was over — " My Galla tributaries 
revolted : I have played them one trick, 
and I will shortly play them another." 

The customary congratulations after a 
victory were offered in the words, " God 
has aided your arms." " Yes," replied the 
monarch ; " the God of my fathers has 
assisted me — I have slain four thousand 
six hundred of mine enemies, and have 
captured thirty-seven thousand and forty- 
two head of cattle." 

When complimenting the king on the 
clemency extended toward the prisoners 
of war, who had on this occasion been re- 
leased for the first time during his reign, 
the opportunity was not lost of comment- 
ing upon the destruction of innocent and 
helpless children, as being a most inhuman 
practice, and one quite unworthy of the 
Christian warrior. The despot smiled, as 
if half ashamed ; and looking down, re- 
plied, " I am aware that it is bad, but in 
all countries we must conform to the cus- 
toms that prevail. The Galla destroy the 
Amhara without discrimination, and we 
do but retaliate. You must all accompany 
me on my next campaign in January. I 
shall build a fortified house at Karabarek, 
and you must there tarry with me. When- 
ever you are present I will release the 
captives." 

During the absence of the army at Gar- 
ra Gorphoo, one of the Mohammadan in- 
habitants of Argbbba had been waylaid 
and wantonly murdered by the Adai'el, 
who are in constant feud with the frontier 
population of Bfat. The relations and 
clansmen of the deceased surprised the 
visage to which the assassins belonged, 
and, in revenge, slew sixteen souls. Wul- 
asma Mohammad succeeded, after much 
difficulty, in apparently pacifying the low- 
land tribe, who had in their turn sworn 
upon the Koran to take bloody vengeance ; 
but no sooner had he returned from the 
border than thirteen Moslem females, pro- 
ceeding from the town of Channoo to draw 
water in the wady, were barbarously butch- 
ered at the well. 

This tragedy being followed by an ap- 
plication for troops to chastise the delin- 



188 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



quents, now induced the remark, that " if 
the Ada'iel could see one fourth of the 
Amhara host, they would cease to trouble 
the frontier." 

" No," replied his majesty, "it will not 
do. My grandfather tried his arms with 
the people below, but he was surprised, 
and lost four thousand men and six thou- 
sand oxen in the bed of a dry ravine. The 
water of the klvalla* is putrid, and the air 
hot and unwholesome. Noxious vapors 
arise during the night, and the people die 
from fever. We fear their sultry climate 
and their dense forests, and their mode of 
warfare. They leave open only one ave- 
nue ; and when the Christians enter the 
thicket, breaking short their lances, they 
rush in and fight at close quarters. No 
one can stand against them. Our muskets 
avail nothing, by reason of the trees and 
bushes. Furthermore, the Ada'iel are 
subtle in strong medicines. They poison 
the wells with drugs, and corrupt the water 
with magic spells and enchantments. It 
is their wont to mix together the flesh of 
a black dog, a cat, and a certain forest 
bird. This they strew craftily about the 
ground, and whoso eateth thereof becomes 
insane and dies." 

The presents which custom enforces 
after a victory, were now placed at the 
foot of the throne, according to the eti- 
quette of the court. " My children," re- 
sumed the king, " I am your father. I am 
rich. You have already given me too 
much, and I desire not your property. I 
wish only for your love, and for that of 
your nation. I am fully aware of the ob- 
jects of your residence in my kingdom. I 
have seen your character, and know that 
you will slay elephants, and buffaloes, and 
wild beasts. You must not go away, but 
accompany me on many more expeditions. 
You have now seen much people. You 
must go with me to Gur4gue, where you 
will behold other tribes, and a far more 
extensive country. I shall build a wall. 
My father subdued all the population of 
Shoa, and I fear no enemy to the south, 
in Gurague, Enarea, or Zingero. None 
can stand before me. The Ada'iel and the 
people of Geshef alone contend with me. 
In Geshe they have large shields, and fight 
hand to hand. The country of the Adel 
is difficult of access, and unfortunate for 
the Amhara. It is an old dependency of 
the empire of my ancestors, but the men 
are brave, and stand firm in battle. They 
will not run away." 

* i. e. Lowvallies. 
t A province on the northern frontier of Shoa. 



CHAPTER LXXIII. 

CHRONICLE OF THE INVASION OF MOHAMMAD 
GRAAN. 

The allegiance claimed from the Ada'iel 
by the emperors of Ethiopia, is known to 
have becorae evasive at a very early period. 
Centuries age, gold was returned for gold, 
apparel for apparel ; and the intractable 
Moslems were studiously kept in good 
humor whensoever fr^y thought proper to 
visit the court of Abyssinia. Their reve- 
nues arose chiefly from the supply of 
camels for the transport of merchandise to 
various parts of Africa, and from the im- 
portation of fossil salt, which then, as now, 
passed instead of silver currency, and for 
which they purchased slaves, together with 
the rich staples of the interior. Thus the 
interests of Adel and of Abyssinia have 
always been so intimately linked, that the 
declaration of war was certain to prove 
disastrous alike to the victor and to the 
vanquished, since it must interfere equally 
with the commerce by which both were 
enriched. Nevertheless, upon all suitable 
opportunities, the fanatic lowlanders, urged 
by religious hate, plundered the Christian 
churches, massacred the priests, and put 
the monks and friars to torture, until they 
at length drew upon themselves a war of 
extermination. 

The Abyssinian chroniclers state that 
Amda Zion, who died at Tegulet about 
the middle of the fourteenth century, first 
made a retributive inroad, in consequence 
of his rebellious vassals having, among- 
many other derogatory expressions, taunt- 
ed him as " a eunuch, fit only to take care 
of women." But the emperor was never 
beaten. He overran and laid waste the 
plains, from the mountains to the borders 
of the ocean, and swept off to the highlands 
a prodigious amount of cattle. Every spe- 
cies of enormity appears to have been prac- 
ticed in retaliation by the Amhara, who 
were commanded to " leave nothing alive 
that drew the breath of life." This behest 
was obeyed with all the rage and cruelty 
that revenge and a difference of religion 
could inspire ; and before the termination 
of the campaign, the dauntless young king 
of Wypoo had been slain, together with 
Saleh, the king of Mara, who boasted de- 
scent in a direct line from the Apostle. 

Constant commercial intercourse had 
long been maintained between Cairo and 
Abyssinia, both across the desert and by 
way of the Red Sea. Great caravans, 
composed formerly of pagans, but now of 



EMBASSY TO GOA— THE WARRIOR MONK. 



189 



Mohammaclans, passed in without molest- 
ation, and dispersed Indian manufactures 
through the heart of Africa. Friars, priests, 
nuns ,°and pious laymen, in vast numbers, 
also set out annually on a pilgrimage to 
Jerusalem, whither, with drums beating 
before the holy cross, they proceeded by 
the route of Suakem, making long halts 
for the performance of divine service. But 
with the power of the Mamelukes, all com- 
munication across the desert, whether for 
commercial or religious purposes, was 
closed to the Christians. After the con- 
quest of Egypt and Arabia by Selim I., 
caravans were invariably attacked, the old 
were butchered, and the young swept into 
slavery ; for the emperor of the Ottomans, 
fully imbued with the merciless bigotry of 
his' creed, held it a sacred duty to convert 
by the sword, the subjects of a monarch 
whose ancestor had been honored with the 
correspondence of the great founder of the 
Saracen empire. Many Arabian mer- 
chants, flying about the same period from 
the violence and injustice of the Turkish 
tyrants, had sought an asylum in the oppo- 
site African states, whereupon the Otto- 
mans took possession, from Aden, of the 
sea-port of Zeyla, and not only laid the 
Indian trade under heavy contributions, by 
means of their galleys cruising in the nar- 
row straits of Bab el Mandeb, but threat- 
ened the conquest both of Adel and Abys- 
sinia. 

Betwixt these countries there subsisted 
peace from the death of Amda Zion to the 
middle of the fifteenth century. Toward 
the close of the reign of Zara Yacoob, 
who founded Debra Berhan, the flame of 
discord was again fanned by a certain 
queen of Zeyla, who is said to have as- 
pired to the hand of the emperor ; but the 
Christian arms were still in the ascendant. 
Baeda Mariam', the next occupant of the 
throne, passed his life in a constant strug- 
gle to assert supremacy over the low coun- 
try ; and, on his death-bed, he caused him- 
self to be so turned that his face might be 
toward the sandy deserts of the Adai'el, to 
whose subjugation his whole energies had 
for ten years been devoted. 

Mafoodi's inroads, it has been seen, com- 
menced during the reign of Alexander. 
They continued, with increasing horrors, 
throughout that of his successor Naod. 
Nebla Dengel being only eleven years of 
age when called to the throne, Helena, his 
mother, ruled during his minority. Albu- 
querque was at that period viceroy of India, 
and to him the queen-dowager sent to im- 
plore assistance for troubled Abyssinia. 
Arriving at Goa, the embassador announc- 



ed himself to be the bearer of " a fragment 
of wood belonging to the true cross on 
which Christ died, which relic had been 
sent, as a token of friendship to her brother 
Emanuel, by the empress over Ethiopia ;" 
and this overture was in due time followed 
by the arrival at Massowah of an embassy 
from the king of Portugal. 

Father Alvarez has recorded the unfa- 
vorable reception experienced in Shoa at 
the hands of the young emperor, who could 
never be brought to recognize his mother's 
proceedings, which had led to this influx 
of foreigners. At the age of sixteen, hav- 
ing adopted the title of Wanag Suggud, 
signifying, "■ feared among the lions," he 
had taken the field in person against Ma- 
foodi, who, backed by the rebellious king 
of Adel, still continued his wasting inroads 
on the Christian frontier. At the opening 
of. the campaign, this fanatic, who had re- 
solved either to conquer or to die a martyr 
to his religion, threw down the gauntlet 
of defiance to the Christian chivalry, and 
it was instantly accepted. The infidel 
was slain in single combat by the monk 
Gabriel, a soldier of tried valor, who had 
assumed the monastic cap during the pre- 
ceding reign in consequence of having 
been deprived of the tip of his tongue for 
treasonable freedom of speech. Cutting 
off the head of this vanquished antagonist, 
he now threw it at the feet of his royal 
master, and exclaimed, " Behold, sire, the 
Goliath of the Infidels !" The green stand- 
ard of the Prophet and of the faith was 
taken, twelve thousand of the Islams were 
slain, and the youthful emperor, in defi- 
ance, struck his lance through the door 
of the king of Adel. The monk who had 
thus delivered Abyssinia from her worst 
scourge, was welcomed with the applause 
of the whole nation. His path was spread 
with green branches of the myrtle. Maid- 
ens pressed forward to strew flowers in his 
path, and matrons, celebrating his achieve- 
ments with songs, placed garlands on his 
head, and held out their babes to gaze at 
the warrior as he passed. 

It was shortly after the departure of the 
Portuguese embassy that Graan, " the 
Left-handed" — then king of Adel — made 
his first appearance on the Ethiopian stage, 
where he was long the principal actor. In 
league with the Turkish bashaw on the 
coast of Arabia, this mighty warrior sent 
his Abyssinian prisoners to Mecca, and in 
return was furnished with a large body of 
Janizaries, at the head of whom he burst 
into Efat and Fatigar, drove off the popu- 
lation, and laid waste the country with fire. 
In 1528 he took possession of Shoa, over- 



190 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ran Amhara, burnt all the churches, and 
swept off immense booty. In his next 
campaign the invader wintered in Bege- 
meder, and the following year hunted the 
emperor like a wild beast through Tigre to 
the borders of Sennaar, gave battle to the 
royal troops on the banks of the Nile, with 
his own hand slew the monk Gabriel, who 
had vanquished Mafoodi in single combat, 
cut the army to pieces, practiced every 
species of atrocity, and set fire to half the 
churches in Abyssinia. 

Famine and plague now raged, and car- 
ried off those whom the sword had spared. 
The princes of the* blood were all de- 
stroyed, Axum was burnt, and the mon- 
arch himself, after being compelled to take 
refuge in the wilderness, was finally slain. 
With him died also the boasted splendor of 
the Abyssinian court, for he was the last 
monarch of Ethiopia who displayed the 
magnificence of a " king of kings." 

Mark, the aged archbishop, had, on his 
death-bed, appointed as his successor John 
Berm,udez, a Portuguese who had been 
detained in the country, and at the request 
of Claudius, who succeeded to the throne, 
he now proceeded to Europe to obtain as- 
sistance. Don Christopher de Gama, with 
five hundred soldiers, obtained possession 
of Massowah, slew the governor, and sent 
his head to Gondar, where, as an early 
pledge of future victory, it was received 
with raptures by the queen. The general 
was shortly confronted by Graan in per- 
son. Artillery and muskets were for the 
first time opposed in Abyssinia, and the 
Portuguese leader being wounded, took 
refuge in a cave. Deaf to persuasion, he 
refused to seek safety in flight ; and a 
Turkish lady of extraordinary beauty, 
whom he had made prisoner, and who had 
affected conversion to Christianity, shortly 
betrayed him to the enemy. He was car- 
ried before Graan, who with his left hand 
cut off his head, and sent it to Constanti- 
nople, his body being mutilated, and sent 
in portions to Arabia. 

But the Portuguese were far from being 
disheartened by this grievous misfortune, 
and the armies were shortly in a position 
again to try their strength. Before the 
engagement had well commenced, Peter 
Lyon, a marksman of low stature, but 
passing valiant withal, who had been valet 
to Don Christopher, having stolen unper- 
ceived along the dry channel of a ravine, 
shot Graan •through the body. He fell 
from his horse some distance in advance 
of the troops, and the soldier, cutting off 
one of the infidel's ears, put it into his 
pocket. This success was followed by the 



total rout of the Mohammadans ; and an 
Abyssinian officer of rank finding the body 
of the redoubted chief, took possession of 
his mutilated head, which he laid at the 
feet of the emperor in proof of his claim 
to the merit of the achievement. Having 
witnessed in silence the impudence of his 
rival, the valet produced the trophy from 
his pocket, with the observation that his 
majesty doubtless knew Graan sufficiently 
well to be quite certain "that he would 
suffer no one to cut off his ear that pos- 
sessed not the power to take his head also." 

Delivered from his enemy, Claudius now 
sought to repair the ravages which had 
been committed in his country. A total 
eclipse of the sun shortly threw both ai my 
and court into consternation — every igno- 
rant monk who practiced divination decla- 
ring the phenomenon to portend another 
invasion from the lowlanders. But in spite 
of this prophecy an interchange of prison- 
ers took place. Del Wumbarea, the widow 
of Graan, had thrown herself into the wilds 
of Atbara, and her son Ali Jeraad, who was 
made prisoner after his father fell, being 
now set at liberty, Prince Menas, only 
brother to the emperor, was released from 
his captivity in the sultry deserts of Adel, 
whither he had been carried during the 
reign of Nebla Dengel. 

Noor, the ameer of Hurrur, who was 
deeply enamored of Del Wumbarea, had 
proved the means of her escape from the 
fatal field whereon her husband died. The 
heroine now pledged her hand in marriage 
to the hero who should lay the head of 
Claudius at her feet ; and Noor instantly 
sent a message of defiance to the emperor, 
who was engaged in rebuilding the cele- 
brated church of Debrawork,* which had 
been burnt by the infidels. Claudius, who 
had almost by a miracle rescued Abys- 
sinia from the Mohammadans, marched in- 
stantly to accept the challenge. Many 
prophecies were current among the sol- 
diery that the campaign was to prove un- 
fortunate, and the hot-headed monarch to 
lose his life ; but he laughed at these 
monkish predictions, avowing death in the 
midst of an army of unbelievers to be in- 
finitely preferable to the longest and most 
prosperous reign. 

The rival armies were on the very point 
of engaging, in the year 1559, when the 
high-priest of Debra Libanos rushed be- 
fore the emperor, to declare a vision, in 
which the angel Gabriel had warned him 
not to suffer the king of the church of 
Ethiopia, to expose himself in a needless 



i. e. " Mountain of gold." 



A DROVE OF SLAVES— ROYAL BEDCHAMBER. 



191 



fight. Thus discouraged, the cowardly 
Abyssinians instantly fled, leaving Clau- 
dius supported only by a handful of Por- 
tuguese soldiers, who were soon slain 
around his person, and he immediately after- 
ward fell, covered with wounds. His head 
was cut off, and laid by Noor at the feet of 
Del Wumbarea, who, in observance of her 
pledge, became his wife ; and with truly 
savage ferocity commanded the trophy to 
be suspended by the hair to the branches 
of a tree before her door, in order that her 
eyes might continually be gladdened by 
the sight. It hung in this position during 
three years, ere it was purchased by an 
Armenian merchant, in order that it might 
be interred in the holy sepulchre of St. 
Claudius at Antioch ; and the name of the 
hero who had been victorious in every ac- 
tion save that in which he died, has since 
been enrolled in the voluminous catalogue 
of Abyssinian saints, where it now occu- 
pies a conspicuous place as the destroyer of 
Mohammad, surnamed ' ; the Left-handed." 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 

PROCEEDINGS AT ANGOLLALA. 

Certain Abyssinian potentates of old 
are recorded by their biographers, to have 
bestowed in religious charity all worldly 
substance, saving the crown upon their 
heads. Such will never be recorded of 
Sahela Selassie, whose endowments, al- 
though frequent, are invariably regulated 
by prudence. Reluctance to part with 
property possessed, stigmatizes his every 
act of munificence, and thriftiness even, 
adulterates the incense of his votive sacri- 
fice. The countless droves of sturdy beeves 
which now ranged over the royal meadows, 
were daily inspected with evident signs of 
satisfaction ; but while the sWkocf- ut P1 . c 
distributed over the various pasture lands, 
the leanest kine were dispatched to the sev- 
eral churches .and monasteries, as offerings 
after the successful campaign. 

At this season of rejoicing and festivity, 
the host of maimed, diseased, emaciated, 
and loathsome objects, that habitually in- 
fest the outer court, or crawl in quest of 
alms around the precincts of the palace, 
had increased to a surprising extent in or- 
der to share the royal bounty. Swarms of 
itinerant paupers, who bivouacked under 
the old Galla wall, sang psalms and hymns 
in the streets during the entire night ; and 
long before dawn, the clamor commenced 
around the tents of a throng of mendicants 



resembling the inmates of a lazar house, 
who with insolent importunity reiterated 
their adjurations for relief by Georgis, 
Miriam, Michael, and every other saint in 
the Abyssinian calendar. Many petty pil- 
ferings were of course committed by this 
ragged congregation ; and a deputation of 
the inhabitants of Angolalla soon present- 
ed a petition to the throne, praying for the 
dismissal of the vagrants, who had become 
an intolerable public nuisance. 

On the festival of Tekla Haimanot, the 
embassy received an invitation to witness 
the distribution of the royal alms, which 
was to be followed by a beggars' feast. 
The wonted inmates of the palisaded in- 
closure were no longer there ; but their 
place was occupied by a • drove of even 
more wretched beings just imported with a 
caravan from Gurague. Upward of six 
hundred slaves, of every age, from child- 
hood to maturity, and most of them in a 
state of perfect nudity, who had been 
snatched by the hand of avarice from the 
fair land of their birth, were huddled to- 
gether under the eye of the rover for in- 
spection by the officers of the crown, pre- 
paratory to being driven to market ; and 
the forlorn and destitute appearance, both 
of old and young, stamped them objects 
but too well-fitted for participation in the 
charity of a Christian monarch. 

Immediately on arrival within the court- 
yard of the palace, the British strangers 
were conducted by the king to the royal 
bed-chamber — a gloomy apartment, lighted 
chiefly by the blaze of an iron chafing-dish, 
and shared not only by a Moolo Falada cat, 
with a large family of kittens, but by three 
favorite war-steeds, whose mangers were 
in close proximity to the well-screened 
couch. Cleanliness did not characterize 
the warm curtains ; and although cotton 
cloth had been pasted round the mud walls 
for the better exclusion of the wind, an air 
of peculiar discomfort was present. A 
rickety alga in one corner, a few hassocks 
covered with black leather, an Ethiopic 
version of the Psalms of David, and a 
carpet consisting of withered rushes, were 
the only furniture ; and the dismal aspect 
of the room was further heightened by the 
massive doors and treble palisades which 
protected the slumbers of the suspicious 
despot. 

In one corner stood an unopened bottle, 
to which the king pointed, and laughed 
heartily. It had been obtained from the 
Gyptzis by the master of the horse, in or- 
der to prove that old Cognac was not more 
potent than the ardent spirits manufactured 
in the royal distillery, which is so liberally 



192 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



seasoned with Cayenne pepper as to re- 
semble the strongest " cholera mixture." 
Finding the cork sealed, his majesty had 
resolved, after much deliberation, that this 
new acquisition should be enrolled by the 
scrivener in the catalogue of his treasures, 
and hoarded with the other foreign curi- 
osities in the magazine at Aramba. A 
label of vellum having accordingly been 
attached, the donors were requested to 
write thereon in fair Amharic characters 
" a statement of the contents, accompanied 
by copious directions for their use, and dis- 
tinct instructions relative to the proper 
dose." 

This had been done, and his majesty's 
mirth arose from a not-to-be-mistaken por- 
trait of a certain contemptible little subject 
of his own, with a passing red nose, lying 
prostrate on his face beneath the following 
written caution : — " Fire water — recom- 
mended in small quantities ; maximum 
dose one half wantcha* Let him who 
shall exceed this measure beware of the 
fate of Berik." This allusion, made for 
the benefit of posterity, needed no interpre- 
tation ; for it was already matter of scandal 
that the subject of the caricature, who was 
employed under the purveyor-general, and 
never omitted to repair to the fireside of 
the Gyptzis at their hour of dinner, in or- 
der to obtain a share of his own bad " hon- 
ey-water," had recently quaffed, for some 
imaginary ailment, a dose of eau-de-vie, 
which so bewildered his never very brill- 
iant ideas, that he was discovered the fol- 
lowing morning, by his wife, lying at the 
foot of a steep precipice, with a face dis- 
figured for life. 

The young princes of the blood royal 
had arrived in the course of the morning, 
for the purpose of being invested with 
governments ; and in the verandah of an 
adjacent building pertaining to the harem, 
Hailoo Mulakoot, the elder of the twu, had 
been pointed out by an attendant as the 
guests entered. He disappeared instantly 
upon perceiving that he was observed, and 
was no more seen; but the before inex- 
plicable mystery, which had brought about 
an acquaintance with precincts forbidden, 
was presently unravelled by the introduc- 
tion of the younger brother, who, with eyes 
veiled, was led in by a withered eunuch, 
in order that he might receive medical as- 
sistance. 

Saifa Selassie " the sword of the Trini- 
ty," is an extremely aristocratic and fine- 
looking youth, about twelve years of age, 
possessing the noble features of his sire, 

* The horn drinking-cup used in Abyssinia. 



with the advantage of a very fair instead 
of a swarthy complexion. Beneath a red 
chintz vest of Arabian manufacture, he 
wore a striped cotton robe, which fell in 
graceful folds from the girdle, and from the 
crown of the head, a tassel of minutely- 
braided locks streamed to the middle of his 
back. " This is the light of mine eyes, 
and dearer to me than life itself," exclaimed 
the king, withdrawing the bandage, and 
caressing the boy with the utmost fond- 
ness — "Give him the medicine that re- 
moves ophthalmia, or he, too, will be blind 
like his father." 

His majesty was assured that no alarm 
need be entertained ; and that, although 
the cause was to be regretted, the day 
which had brought the honor of an inter- 
view with the young prince could not but 
be deemed one of the highest good fortune. 
Much affected by this intimation, he laid 
his hand upon the arm of the party speak- 
ing, and replied, " We do not yet know 
each other as we ought, but we shall daily 
become better and better acquainted. 

" Whence comes this masked V resumed 
the inquisitive monarch, raising a Catholic 
cross devoutly to his lips, as the royal 
scion was reconducted by the withered at- 
tendant toward the apartments of the queen 
' — "to what nation does it belong?" "It 
is the emblem of those who, in their at- 
tempts to propagate the Romish religion 
in Ethiopia, caused rivers of blood to flow," 
was the reply. " No matter," exclaimed 
his majesty, in rebuke to the Mohammadan 
dragoman who would fain have assisted in 
the restoration of the paper envelope — 
" How dost thou dare to profane the holy 
cross] These are Christians, and may 
touch it, but thou art an unbeliever." 

The votaries of St. Giles had, mean- 
while, been ushered through a private 
wicket, and in the adjacent inclosure a 
crowd of horrible and revolting objects 
ioimed ttfc inuot miserable of spectacles. 
The palsied, the lepiuua, tho scrofulous, 
and those in the most inveterate stages of 
dropsy and elephantiasis, were mingled 
with mutilated wretches who had been be- 
reft of hands, feet, eyes, and tongue, by 
the sanguinary tyrants of Northern Abys- 
sinia, and who bore with them the severed 
portions, in order that their bodies might 
be perfect at the day of resurrection. The 
old, the halt and the lame, the deaf, the 
noseless, and the dumb, the living dead in 
every shape and form, were still streaming 
through the narrow door ; limbless trunks 
were borne onward upon the spectres of 
asses and horses, and the blind, in long 
Indian file, rolling their ghastly eyeballs, 



THE BEGGARS' FEAST— THE EXECUTION. 



193 



and touching each the shoulder of his 
sightless neighbor, groped their way to- 
ward the hum of voices, to add new hor- 
rors to the appalling picture. 

An annual muster-roll being kept as a 
check, all who were ascertained to have 
been participators in the distribution of the 
preceding year were unceremoniously eject- 
ed by the myrmidons of the purveyor-gen- 
eral, who has the interests of the state 
revenues warmly at heart. The mendi- 
cants were next classed in squads accord- 
ing to their diseases, and the dwarf father 
confessor, by no means the least frightful 
object in the assembly, proceeded, in capa- 
city of king's almoner, to dipense the royal 
bounty with a judicious hand. Sheep, 
clothes, and money, were distributed ac- 
cording to the apparent necessities of the 
wretched recipients, while each donation 
made was carefully registered by the scribes 
in attendance ; and half-baked bread, raw 
beef, and sour beer, in quantities sufficient 
to satisfy every monk and beggar in. the 
realm, having been heaped outside the pal- 
ace gate, all ate their fill, and dispersed. 

Next to the merciful disposition of Sa- 
hela Selassie, in which his character offers 
its brightest theme for panegyric, his mu- 
nificence to the indigent may be ranked 
among his most prominent virtues. While 
the needy never retire empty handed from 
his door, no criminal ever suffers under the 
barbarous mutilation, so many distressing 
monuments of which had this day shared 
his liberality. Blood flowing from the veins 
of a subject finds no pleasure in the eyes 
of the ruler of Shoa. Under his sway the 
use of the searing iron has become a thing 
obsolete, and the sickening sentence is un- 
known which in the northern states con- 
demns the culprit to the wrenching off of 
hands and feet, whereof the teguments have 
previously been severed with a razor at the 
wrist and ankle. But widely opposed are 
the views of humanity entertained in dif- 
ferent climes ; and the scene which await- 
ed return from the banquet, although in 
strict accordance with retributive justice, 
was in appalling contrast with the more 
merciful fiat of civilized jurisprudence. «« 

A warrior had been convicted upon un- 
deniable evidence of the foul murder of his 
comrade in arms, with whom he had lived 
for years on terms of the closest intimacy. 
During the recent campaign, he had gone 
with hia companion into the wood, and ta- 
king advantage of the opportunity afforded 
by hostilities with the Galla, had felled the 
unsuspecting man to the earth with a blow 
of his sword. Fame, such as is only to be 
acquired by the slaughter of the foe, prompt- 



ed the dastardly outrage ; and the treach- 
erous assassin who had imbrued his hands 
in the blood of his dearest friend, now 
placed the green trophy of valor trium- 
phantly on his guilty head. " Where is 
thy brother ?" was the question that await- 
ed his return to the camp ; but, like Cain 
of old, he denied all knowledge of what 
had befallen the absentee ; and it was not 
until the mutilated body had been discov- 
ered, that suspicion fell heavily upon him- 
self. 

Mourning relatives threw themselves in 
sackcloth at the imperial footstool, and 
cried aloud for the blood of the prisoner. 
Arraigned before the monarch, the inves- 
tigation had been patiently conducted du- 
ring the beggars' feast, and the "Fetha 
Negest," having been duly consulted, the 
sentence proceeded from the royal lips — 
" Take him hence, and deal with him as 
you will." 

The last sun that was to shine upon the 
malefactor, was sinking fast toward the 
western horizon, when with hands bound 
behind his back, he was hurried from the 
presence for instant execution. Its rising 
rays had seen him seated at the door of the 
hut, while his young wife adorned his locks 
with the newly plucked branch of aspara- 
gus, that was the record of his infamy, but 
the meridian beam had witnessed his arrest. 
The relatives of the murdered, and a band 
of the king's headsmen, all armed with 
shield and broad-headed spear, now formed 
a close phalanx round him as he proceeded 
with the stoicism of the savage to meet 
his well -merited doom, and an infuriated 
mob followed, to heap taunt and ignominy 
upon his numbered moments. 

Impatient of delay, the friends of the de- 
ceased were about to immolate their victim 
en the meadow close to the encampment 
of the embassy ; but adjured by the life of 
the monarch, they urged the culprit over 
the rocky mound adjoining the Galla wall, 
which was already crowded with a vast 
concourse of spectators, burning for the 
consummation of the last sentence of the 
law. Scarcely had the unresisting crimi- 
nal passed the summit, than an eager hand 
stripped the garment from his shoulder, and 
twenty bright spears being poised at the 
moment, he turned his head to the one side, 
to receive a deep stab on the other. While 
still reeling, a dozen sharp blades were 
sheathed ii his heart, and a hundred trans- 
fixed the prostrate body. Swords flashed 
from the crooked scabbard — the quivering 
corse was mutilated in an instant, and on 
the next the exulting executioners took 
their way from the gore-stained ground, 



194 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



howling with truly savage satisfaction the 
Christian chorus of death ! 

Mother, sisters, and wives, now flocked 
around the lifeles clay, rending the air with 
their piercing shrieks. " Alas ! the brave 
have fallen, the spirit of the bold has fled." 
" Wo unto us, we have lost the son of our 
declining years " — " our brother and our 
husband is gone for ever !" Bared breasts 
were beaten and scarified, and temples 
were torn with the nails until the evening 
closed, and it was dark when the mourners 
ceased their shrill lamentations for the dead. 
But the turbaned priest was not there ; no 
absolution had been given, nor had the last 
sacrament been partaken ; and the unhal- 
lowed remains of the murderer would have 
found a tomb in the maw of the hyena and 
the vulture, had not a charitable hand in- 
closed them under a cairn of stones by the 
highway side, where many a grass- grown 
mound marks the fate of the cowardly as- 
sassin, who has destroyed his brother in 
the wood, and whose memory is coupled 
with dishonor. 



CHAPTER LXXV. 

TRIUMPHAL ENTRY TO THE CAPITAL. 

" Rectjler pour mieux sauter" is a max- 
im strictly in accordance with his majesty's 
notions of strategy. Twenty days had 
elapsed since the return of the expedition, 
when the arrival before the palace of six 
thousand head of cattle proclaimed the suc- 
cess of a second sweeping foray directed 
against the Ekka and Finnnni Galla. A 
Mohammadan merchant residing at Roque, 
the market town and great slave-mart of 
Yerrur, was suspected of having with his 
own hand slain the son of Ayto Besueh- 
nech, grand nephew to the king — this youth 
having pressed on far in advance of his 
comrades in hot pursuit of the retreating 
pagans. To avenge his untimely death, a 
detachment consisting of five thousand 
horse, under the command of Ayto Berkie, 
Chilo, and Dogmo, the government of which 
latter chief had previously been extended 
in acknowledgment of his recent services, 
made a forced march through Bulga, and 
although foiled in their principal object by 
the precipitate flight of the rover "vhose life 
they sought, the whole of hif family and 
followers were massacred, his effects plun- 
dered, and his house burnt to the ground. 

The survivors of the Ekka and Finnnni 
tribes, believing the fatal storm to be ex- 
pended, had already returned with the resi- 



due of their flocks and herds, and were 
actively engaged in restoring their dilapi- 
dated habitations, when the Amhara hordes 
again burst over their fair valley, slew six 
hundred souls, and captured all the remain- 
ing cattle, thus completing the chastise- 
ment of these devoted clans, who, notwith- 
standing the generous restoration of their 
enslaved families, had failed to make sub- 
mission — and redeeming the royal pledge 
" to play the rebels another trick." 

The king had not honored Ankober with 
his presence since the arrival in Shoa of 
the British embassy, but his majesty now 
announced his intention of entering the 
capital in triumph. Thinly attended, and 
unscreened by the state umbrellas, he is- 
sued at sunrise on horseback through the 
sirkosh ber, the only addition to his wonted 
costume being a plume of nine feathers 
stripped from the rasa or egret, and worn 
in the hair in token of his recent prowess 
at Boora Roofa. Putting his horse into a 
gallop, he never drew bridle until arrested 
by the Bereza, many parties under gover- 
nors of the adjacent districts joining the 
royal cortege from various quarters, and 
swelling the retinue to two thousand eques- 
trians, who continued at a furious pace to 
clatter over the stony ground. 

Mosabiet, a village standing on a penin 
sula formed by the junction of the Toro 
Mesk water with the Bereza, imparts its 
name to this, the most direct road from 
Angoilala to Ankober. The river forded, 
the king mounted his mule, and diverging 
to the right, passed through a valley stud- 
ded with hamlets, the inhabitants of which, 
male and female, came forth with many 
prostrations to the earth, while the women 
raised their voices together in the usual 
ringing heltltee. 

On all occasions of rejoicing and cere- 
mony, whether on the successful return of 
the monarch or of the warrior, or on the 
sight of a passing procession, the ladies of 
Abyssinia, with their characteristic love of 
noise, thus burst forth into a thrilling cla- 
mor of welcome, moving the tongue with 
more than ordinary volubility against the 
palate, and producing a continuous succes- 
sion of tremulous notes, which are more 
agreeable to the listener than to the per- 
former. One watchful dame on the out- 
skirts perceives the approach of the caval- 
cade, and forthwith gives out her wild 
screech of warning. In a moment, the 
mountain side is covered with every female 
within hearing- ; the Hil ! HI ! HI ! pro- 
gresses fast and furious as they bend nearly 
double, to assist in upraising the yelling 
chorus ; tears stream from their eyes in the 



GRAAN'S STONE "—THE KING IN HIS ROBES. 



195 



violence of the exertion, and far and near 
the hills resounded with the gathered vol- 
ume of their shrill throats. 

The king halted for a moment at a pile 
of stones by the way-side, covered with 
rags, feathers, and flowers, to which every 
devout Christian adds his tribute while sa- 
luting it with his lips. It points to the 
white-roofed church of Michael the arch- 
angel, peeping through a dark clump of 
junipers at some distance from the road, 
and many were the fervent kisses of adora- 
tion bestowed by the triumphant warriors. 
A little beyond, a large black cross on the 
summit of the tumulus, directs attention to 
the residence of Ayto Berri, quarter-mas- 
ter-general of the Amhara forces. Here 
his majesty again diverged, in order to lead 
the cavalcade through the most thickly 
populated tract : and resting for half an 
hour in the Ungua-mesk, one of the many 
royal meadows, now black with the Galla 
herds, turned suddenly off to the Motatit 
road, according to invariable custom, ob- 
served when proceeding to the capital after 
a successful foray. 

Arsiamba water, styled at its point of 
intersection with the route usually pur- 
sued, Ya Wurjoch Materia, the " resting- 
place of merchants/' is a singular cataract, 
rolling over columnar basalt, of which the 
ribbed cliffs on either side are thronged by 
bees. J5ut hy far die most interesting ob- 
ject is a white pillar of stone, overgrown 
with nettles, standing at the foot of the hills 
which bound the Ungua-mesk. " Graan's 
stone," as this column is designated, is 
famous from an existing tradition that the 
Moslem invader once tied his war-horse 
thereto. The most preposterous legends 
are to this day believed with reference to 
the personal prowess of the hero, his 
gigantic stature, and the colossal size of 
his steed. Graan is said to have wielded 
a brand twenty feet in length ; and, al- 
though it is matter of notoriety that he 
was shot in the manner already narrated 
by a Portuguese soldier, he is represented 
to have received four thousand musket 
bullets before yielding up the ghost. The 
supernatural achievements of this conquer- 
or are handed down in an extant Amharic 
volume ; and his inroads gave birth in the 
mind of the people of Shoa to a supersti- 
tious dread of the Adaiel, such as was long 
entertained of the Turks in Northern Eu- 
rope, and which it has been seen, extends 
, even to the warlike monarch. 

Abundantly cultivated, and rich in gra- 
zing land, the tract passed over is through- 
out so destitute of trees and even bushes, 
lhat the inhabitants employ no other fuel 



than dried manure. Arrived at the sum- 
mit of the Chaka mountain, where strag- 
gling cossos break the monotony of the 
landscape, many hundred females, assem- 
bled from the numerous villages in the vi- 
cinity, lining the surrounding heights, 
again kept up one continued cry. It was 
drowned at intervals by discharges of 
musketry, which echoed among the broken 
glens as the despot descended ; and, pre- 
ceded by a war-dance wherein all the 
warriors joined, he finally took up his quar- 
ters for the night in a house separated by 
a deep inumbrated valley from the capital. 
Early the ensuing morning the embassy, 
in full uniform, rode out to the Chaffa 
meadow at the foot of the palace, to meet 
and welcome his majesty, who, after ar- 
raying himself within a marquee erected 
for his accommodation, shortly appeared 
through a gorge in a low range of hills, 
which was crowned on either side by 
matchlockmen of the imperial body-guard. 
These kept up an incessant fire as the 
royal cortege advanced over the grassy 
plain, preceded by a band of mounted 
warriors, who, as on the occasion of the 
triumphant entry to Angollala, careered in 
intersecting circles. The king bestrode a 
richly caparisoned mule, and wore a green 
scarf mantle of Delhi embroidery. A gol- 

fjpri oolletr- orioirolcd Into licok, a/ii<J a- map - 

sive silver akodama extended on either 
side a considerable distance beyond the 
temples. The ends of the beam were 
hung with a profusion of silver chains a 
yard in length, while a row of spangled 
pendants across the brow half obscured 
the eyes, and imparted a peculiarly savage 
aspect, which was enhanced by a large 
branch of wild asparagus floating above 
the curly locks, and by a white and crim- 
son robe drawn across the lower portion 
of the face. 

As the cavalcade advanced, the embassy 
having first saluted the royal personage, 
took a place among the chiefs. The braves 
continued to caricole until reaching the 
extremity of the meadow, where the as- 
sembled priests and monks of Ankober, as 
well as of the neighboring churches and 
monasteries, were drawn up to receive 
their sovereign. The holy arks were each 
screened under the canopy of a large em- 
broidered umbrella ; and that of St. Mi- 
chael, the senior, which had accompanied 
the army into the field, was carried beneath 
an afiabgir of solid embossed silver, deco- 
rated with chain pendants and fretwork. 
Psalms having been chanted by the tur- 
baned body, who danced vehemently to 
their own chorus, the alaka of the cathe- 






196 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



dral advancing, laid his hands on the head 
of the victorious monarch, and gave his 
blessing, when the procession moved slow- 
ly forward toward the foot of the hill. 

The warriors, preceded by the royal 
band of kettle-drums and wind instruments, 
took the lead up the long steep and narrow 
path, which winds along the verge of a 
precipitous ascent to the palace, perched 
on the very pinnacle of the cone. A proc- 
lamation, through the herald, having com- 
manded the presence of all the inhabitants 
of the capital and of the villages adjacent, 
every roof, bank, and cliff, was covered 
with females, who, as the king passed on, 
kept up an unceasing clamor. Becoming 
momentarily louder and louder, it had in- 
creased to a deafening din as he approach- 
ed the gate of the outer inclosure, where 
a dense mass of curled heads extended 
across the entire open area in front of the 
palisades, every wall, railing, eminence, 
and house-top, within the scope of vision, 
being thickly crowded with tiers of wo- 
men and girls. 

Arms were presented as the state um- 
brellas passed the British escort, drawn up 
before the lower defences ; and within the 
stockade stood the high priests of the five 
churches, robed and mitred. The clamor, 
the music, and the echo of musketry, Con- 
tinued timing tlic tc;ulv^u.o aotcnt ot' fTio 

steep and difficult path, which, broken in- 
to steps, winds betwixt lofty palisades, 
through nine gateways and lodges, to the 
inner inclosure. Here his majesty took 
his seat in a raised alcove, the throne, and 
the usual trappings of royalty, being on 
this occasion new throughout, and more 
than wonted cleanliness pervading every 
quarter of the palace. 

Once more the large drum in the middle 
of the court gave forth its deep notes. 
Three hundred concubines, seated in a cir- 
cle around, again screamed and clapped 
their stained hands in deafening concert. 
A dancing girl, flanked by two wild braves, 
whirled in front of the throne, and in a se- 
ries of eugolistic rhymes composed by her- 
self, chanted a rehearsal of the recent he- 
roic deeds of the puissant monarch, " who, 
although invariably triumphant over his 
heathen foes, had never decorated his roy- 
al brow with a branch much greener than 
that by which it was now surmounted." 
Each time she turned toward the crowd, a 
shrill clamor of united voices rang forth 
the chorus to her verse. The skin-clad 
warriors leaped and howled ; — akodamas, 
coronets, and silver swords, glistened in 
the morning sun ; and, as the chiefs, gov- 
ernors, and nobles, formed in a semicircle 



on either side of the latticed balcony, 
stamped and clapped their hands in savage 
triumph — the populace, crowding the car- 
peted yard, and lining every wall, capered, 
yelled, and shouted with the wildest enthu- 
siasm. A general war-dance followed the 
cessation of the shrill notes of the song- 
stress, and the pageant concluded with a 
royal salute, fired by the artillery detach- 
ment over the British flag, which in honor 
of his majesty's arrival floated far below 
in the centre of the capital of Shoa. 



CHAPTER LXXVI. 

THE PALACE AT ANKOBER. 

From the apex of the palace eminence, 
which towers three hundred feet above the 
surrounding terrace, down to the very base, 
the entire slope is studded with thatched 
magazines and out-houses ; and these, 
shame to the Christian monarch, form the 
scene of the daily labors of three thou- 
sand slaves. In one quarter are to be seen 
groups of busy females, engaged in the 
manufacture of beer and hydromel. Flat 
cakes of teff and wheat are preparing by 
the hundred under the next roof, and from 
the, dark recesses of a building ar^co the 
plaintive amy or ihuse wiw grind the corn 
by the sweat of their brow. Here caldrons 
of red pepper soup yield up their potent 
steam ; and in the adjacent compartment, 
long twisted strips of old cotton rag are 
being dipped into a sea of molten bees' 
wax. Throughout the female establish- 
ment the bloated and cross-grained eunuch 
presides ; and his unsparing rod instructs 
his loquacious and giggling charge, that 
they are not there to gaze at the passing 
stranger. 

In the sunny verandah of the wardrobe, 
tailors and curriers are achieving all man- 
ner of amulets and devices — the offspring 
of a savage brain. Blacksmiths are bang- 
ing away at the anvil, under the eaves of 
the banqueting-hall. Turbaned priests, 
seated in the porch, are armed with a par- 
ty-colored cow's tail, with which they indo- 
lently drive the flies from musty volumes 
detailing the miracles of the saints, which 
are elevated on a rack before their ancient 
eyes. In one shed notaries are diligently 
committing to parchment elaborate inven- 
tories of tribute received. Sacred books 
are being bound in a second. In a crowd- 
ed corner painters are perpetrating on the 
illuminated page, atrocious daubs of our 
first father carrying spear and buckler in 



INFLUX OF POPULATION— SUPERSTITION. 



197 



the garden of Eden ; and in the long shad- 
ow thrown by the slaughter-house, whence 
a stream of blood is ever flowing across the 
road, carpenters are destroying bad wood 
in a clumsy attempt to fashion a gun-stock 
with a farrier's rasp, for the reception of 
an old honeycombed-barrel which promises 
to burst on the very first discharge. 

Governors and nobles, with shields and 
silver swords, are seated as above. Clam- 
orous paupers, itinerant monks, and ap- 
plicants for justice, fill the lower courts. 
The open arada before the great gate is 
choked with idlers, gossips, and immova- 
ble beggars, having seared eyeballs, and 
mutilated lims, who, from the rising up to 
the going down of the sun, maintain one 
incessant howl of importunity. Oxen and 
asses, goats and sheep, have established 
their head-quarters in every filthy avenue. 
Newly-picked bones and bullocks'-skulls 
strew the rugged descent ; and on the last 
terrace, surrounded by stagnant mire, be- 
hold Ayto Wolda Hana himself, seated in 
magisterial dignity, arranging the affairs 
of the nation. Hundreds tremble at his 
uncompromising nod, and appellant and re- 
spondent, accuser and accused, alike bared 
to the girdle, bend in cringing submission, 
as, in a cracked and querulous voice, the 
despotic legislator delivers his arbitrary 
fiat. 

During the absence of the negoos on 
military expeditions, the most inquisitorial 
espionage is exercised over the actions of 
every foreigner, and the strictest police 
established, to insure the safety of the 
almost deserted capital. Every avtnue is 
vigilantly guarded, and no stranger oer- 
mitted to enter the town without permis- 
sion of the viceroy. Children only are 
suffered to leave the houses after dark ; 
and watchmen, patrolling in all directions, 
apprehend every adult who may be found 
abroad during the night. 

But Ankober was now thronged to over- 
flowing. Brawls disturbed the streets, and, 
during the early hours of each evening, 
drunken parties were to be seen streaming 
home from the royal banquet, shouting the 
war chorus, and not unfrequently preceded 
by one of the court buffoons, engaged in 
the performance of the most absurd follies, 
antics, and grimaces. Day and night the 
invocations of a host of mendicants arose 
from every lane and alley, and importunity 
on the part of the wealthy had attained the 
point beyond which it was scarcely possi- 
ble to advance. Each ruffian who had de- 
stroyed an infant, considered that he pos- 
sessed an undeniable right to be " deco- 
rated from head to foot, and completely or- 



namented." Villains, streaming with ran- 
cid butter, entered the residency, and de- 
sired that the " Gyptzis's bead shop might 
be opened, as they had brought salt to pur- 
chase a necklace ;" and the king's three 
fiddlers, who had each slain a foe during 
the foray, appearing with the vaunting 
green sareti, attuned their voices and their 
squeaking instruments to the detail of their 
prowess, and claimed the merited reward. 
" The gun is the medicine for the cow- 
ardly pagan who ascends a tree," was the 
maxim of many who aspired to the pos- 
session of one of these weapons ; and for 
hours together men stood before the door 
with cocks and hens and loaves of bread, 
to establish their right to the possession 
of " pleasing things." 

With the design of aiding the fast- 
swelling collection of natural history, re- 
wards had been offered to all who chose to 
contribute, and the king's pages were kept 
supplied with ammunition for the destruc- 
tion of birds ; but the unconquerable love 
of sticking a feather in the hair almost in- 
variably spoiled the specimen. A bat, firm- 
ly wedged between the prongs of a split 
cane, was one day brought by a boy, who 
extended the prize at arm's length : " I've 
caught him at last," he exclaimed with ex- 
ultation — " It is the devil who had got into 
the monastery of Aferbeine ; I've caught 
the rascal ; win abat ?" " who is his fa- 
ther ?" 

After this strong invective, which is in- 
discriminately applied also, as occasion de- 
mands, to man, beast, and every inanimate 
thing, the youth was not a little surprised 
to perceive the party who had been accost- 
ed quietly extricate the much dreaded ani- 
mal with his fingers. A party of females, 
who carried pitchers of water at their backs, 
had halted in the road, and looking over the 
hedge, were silent spectators of the pro- 
ceeding. " Erag, erag" they exclaimed 
with one accord, placing their hands be- 
fore their mouths, as they ran horror- 
stricken from the spot — " O wai Gypt" 
" Alas, Egyptians ! " far be such things 
from us !" 

On the festival of Michael the archan- 
gel, whose church immediately adjoins the 
palace, the monarch received the holy sa- 
cramer.t in the middle of the night, and 
returned thanks for his victory, a chair hav- 
ing previously been obtained from the resi- 
dency, to obviate the fatigue stated by the 
message to have resulted from former ori- " 
sons. The holy ark, which had brought 
success to his arms, was again placed un- 
der the silver canopy, and thrice carried in 
solemn procession around the sacred edi- 



198 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



fice, under a salute of musketry and ord- 
nance. Large offerings were as usual 
made to it, alms distributed among the 
poor, a new cloth given to each of the 
king's slaves, and a feast prepared for 
every inhabitant of Ankober. Rejoicings, 
which had continued throughout the city 
since the triumphal entry, were this day 
renewed with increased energy, even girls 
and young children whooping war songs 
in celebration of the safe return of the 
warriors from battle. 

But the voice of lamentation succeeded 
to the strains of joy. An eclipse had sud- 
denly inumbrated the moon, and as the 
black shadow was perceived stealing rap- 
idly onward, and casting a mysterious 
gloom over the face of nature, late so 
bright, the exulting Christians were seized 
with the direst consternation The sound 
of the drum was hushed, and the wild cho- 
rus was heard no more. Believing the 
orb to be dead, and that her demise prog- 
nosticated war, pestilence, and famine, the 
entire town and suburbs became a scene 
of panic, tumult, and uproar, while women 
and men, priests and laity, collecting to- 
gether in the streets and in the churches, 
cried aloud upon the " Saviour of the world 
to take pity on them — to screen them from 
the wrath of God — and to cover them with 
a veil of mercy for the sake of Mary, the 
mother of our Lord." 

The pagan Galla, of whom there are 
many in Ankober, lifting up their voices, 
joined in the general petition ; and, from 
not comprehending the Amharic tongue, 
placed upon it the most absurd construc- 
tion. During the whole period of the 
moon's obscuration, the wailing continued 
without intermission ; and when the planet 
emerging, sailed again through the firma- 
ment in all her wonted brilliancy, a uni- 
versal shout of joy burst from the lips of 
the savages, in the firm belief that the 
prayers and sobs of the multitude had pre- 
vailed, and had awakened her from the 
sleep of death. 

Neglect of the precaution is said, on a 
former occasion to have been followed by 
the greatest public calamity; and br the 
raining down of fire from above. His ma- 
jesty had been previously apprised of the 
precise hour and minute at which the ob- 
scuration was to commence and terminate ; 
and his incredulity in the first instance, 
was followed by equally unfeigned surprise 
at the powers of divination displayed. 
" Eclipses are bad omens," said the king, 
when their causes had been explained. 
" Was Subagadis not slain on the appear- 
ance of one ; and did another not bring 



defeat to Ras Ali ?" The chief smith was, 
nevertheless, instructed to make himself 
thoroughly acquainted with the use of 
logarithmic tables, and of "the instruments 
that read the heavens ;" and the royal at- 
tention was temporarily diverted from the 
study of medicine to the contemplation of 
the celestial bodies. 

In Shoa, the silver sword is the emblem 
of rank and authority ; and is girded on 
the loins of none but those who enjoy an 
exalted place in the sovereign's favor. 
The forfeiture of government and the loss 
of the cumbrous badge go hand in hand ; 
and many are the weary hours of attend- 
ance indispensable toward the restoration 
of either. On no foreigner, who had yet 
visited the Christian land, had this mark 
of distinction been conferred ; but the des- 
pot now suddenly resolved that the fluted 
tulip scabbard should adorn his English 
guests. " You bring the stars upon earth, 
and foretell coming events," said his ma- 
jesty, as he presented these tokens of favor 
and confidence — "you are my children; 
you possess strong medicine. You must 
wear these swords in assurance of my per- 
manent love, that your name may be great 
in the eyes of all my people." 



CHAPTER LXXVII. 

THE TOREST OF MAMRAT. 

Excursions abroad, continued as usual 
to occupy the royal leisure ; and even 
when rats and horned owls formed the ig- 
nominious quarry, the king's Gyptzis were 
invariably summoned. But the dark for- 
ests which clothe the foot of Mamrat prov- 
ed the favorite scene of these rambles ; 
and thither the steps of the monarch were 
usually directed. Large colonies of the 
gureza, which inhabit the noblest trees, 
extended an irresistible attraction ; and, 
although from their retired habits, no less 
than from their appearance, these inoffen- 
sive apes are regarded in the light of 
monks, their holy character did not exempt 
them from frequent and severe punishment. 
A shower of iron and stone balls tumbled 
one after the other from his perch on the 
topmost branches of some venerable moss- 
grown woira, where, notwithstanding many 
cunning artifices, the white cowl and the 
long snowy cloak upon the otherwise sa- 
ble body, betrayed the place of conceal- 
ment ; and numbers being soon prostrate 
upon the ground, the survivors, amazed a* 
the murderous intrusion, were to be seen 



THE ROYAL COFFERS— MOUNT MAMRAT. 



190 



swinging from bough to bough, like a 
slack-rope dancer ; and leaping from tree 
to tree, as they sought more secure quar- 
ters in the, to man, inaccessible sides of 
the hail-capped depository of the royal 
treasures, which towered high overhead. 

Occupying manifold caves and subter- 
ranean crannies, in this most elevated 
pinnacle within the range of vision, the 
idolized riches of Sahela Selassie are cov- 
ered with massive iron plates, barred, and 
secured by large heaps of stone. A strong 
guard of matchlockmen occupies the only 
practicable ascent to this cold castle in the 
clouds ; and the keys of its well-crammed 
coffers, which are never opened unless for 
the purpose of being still further stuffed, 
are strictly confided to Ayto Habti, the 
master Cyclops of the realm. Standing 
revealed at the extremity of a forest vista, 
the huge wooded cone presents a grand 
and imposing object, the avenues of tall 
trees, that form a leafy canopy above the 
path, screening the recesses of its dark 
defiles, while the fleecy vapor, stealing 
across the hoary summit, disclose glimpses 
of the many smiling hamlets which crest 
the Abyssinian Alps. 

A Mohammadan legend asserts that in 
time of yore, " the Mother of Grace" tow- 
ered even to the skies, and so remained 
until the ftvst invasion of Graan. Ameer 
Noor, his brother, the ruler of Hurrur in 
its golden days, having formed his camp 
upon a rising ground above Alio Amba, 
dispatched his chieftains in all directions 
to slay, burn, and plunder. Upon their 
return, laden with rich booty, obtained 
without having encountered a single Am- 
hara, the disappointed ameer exclaimed, 
in his religious zeal," 'T is the mountain 
Mamrat that hides tae dastardly infidels. 
May Allah, the only one God, who rules 
over the universe, grant that it be over- 
thrown, and my foes revealed !" Scarcely 
had the pious prayer escaped his lips, than 
the pile, convulsed by an earthquake to its 
very basis, reeled to and fro like a drunken 
man, and sank to its present level. 

" The country of the Ada'iel," adds the 
same veracious authority, " through which 
the ameer led the followers of the true 
prophet, was in those days a trackless des- 
ert, totally destitute of springs ; but on his 
stamping his foot upon the thirsty soil at 
the termination of each day's march, there 
gushed forth a fountain of living water, 
which has continued to flow until the pres- 
ent time." During the struggle that fol- 
lowed the arrival of the Moslem invaders 
within the border, the Christians are said 
to have been in danger of perishing from 



lack of provisions, until the inhabitants of 
Argobba, who are styled Shooggur, from 
the name of their ancestor, supplied the 
army by rolling over the mountain side 
skins filled with grain. In a battle fought 
shortly after the arrival of this seasonable 
supply, Ali Muggan, the governor of Zey- 
la, was slain on the terrace betwixt Mam- 
rat and Alio Amba, and his body mutilated, 
and left to the wild beasts ; whereupon 
Noor, his brother, cursing the race who, 
professing the faith of Islam, had been the 
agents of so dire a calamity, doomed their 
necks to be chafed for ever by the galling 
yoke of vassalage to unbelievers. 

Far hid in the rugged bosom of the 
" Mother of Grace," on the face of a pre- 
cipitous rock which rears its gray scarp 
sternly above the sombre foliage, is a spa- 
cious cell, often visited by the king. Du- 
ring one-half of the fourteenth century, it 
formed the abode of an anchorite, renown- 
ed far and wide for the austerity of his life, 
who invariably slept upon a bed of sharp 
thorns, and whose food was restricted to 
roots and wild honey. Hatze Amda Zion 
was then engaged in his disastrous war 
with Adel ; and the ascetic, seizing his 
white staff, abandoned his rigorous solitude 
for the first time, and, fired by religious 
zeal, rushed into the presence of the em- 
peror, who was encamped on the banks of 
the Hawash. Displaying the holy cross to 
the dispirited soldiery, he exhorted them 
to be of good heart, and not to let the stand- 
ard of Christ droop before the profane ensign 
of the infidels ; for that it was written in the 
book of the Revelations of St. John, that 
Islamism was that year to be crushed and 
trodden under foot throughout the world. 
At his bidding three merchants of Hurrur, 
who, under the guise of suttlers, performed 
the office of spies, were hung without trial 
upon tall trees, and their heads being trans- 
mitted to the king of Adel, proved the fore- 
runners of a bloody defeat, which he shortly 
afterward sustained. 

To the latest occupant of the cave of 
Mamrat is attached the legend embodied 
in the ensuing chapters. It is fully illus- 
trative of the grovelling superstition that 
enthrals the Amhara, of which none ever 
allude to the dread sorcerer Thavanan, 
without an invocation to the Deity. He 
was an exiled noble of Northern Abyssinia, 
high in the favor of As fa Woosen, fifth 
monarch of Shoa, who took forcible posses- 
sion of his sister, and after degrading the 
courtier for opposing this despotic measure, 
sentenced him to the loss of an eye, which 
was put out with a hot iron. Resolved to 
have his revenge, the outcast became a 



200 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



worshipper of the eighty-eight invisible 
spirits, termed Saroch, believed to be the 
emissaries of evil of Wiirobal Mama, the 
king of the Genies, whose court is held at 
the bottom of Lake Alobar, in Mans, 
whence his drum is heard pealing over the 
water whenever war, famine, or pestilence 
are about to visit the land. Having pur- 
chased supernatural powers at the price of 
his hope of salvation, Thavanan tormented 
the king by day and night — spirited away 
his seraglio, and, having thus recovered 
his sister, deprived her oppressor of sight 
by means of magic spells. Taking the 
name of Abba Zowald, he then became a 
stern ascetic ; and his bones are now 
watched day and night by his only disciple, 
himself in the vale of years, who emulates 
the piety of the departed father. They lie 
interred in the cell beneath a pile of rough 
stones, which during a long period of mor- 
tification served him for a couch, while 
roots and wild fruits formed his only fare. 
Angels are said to have ministered unto 
him ; his voice was the voice of an oracle ; 
and none recognizing the sorcerer in a holy 
Christian anchorite, who had despised the 
world and its vanities during a period of 
fifty years, he lived universally regarded 
in Abyssinia as a second Peter. 



CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

THE NECROMANCER, A LEGEND OF SHOA. 

In the lone recesses of a rocky cave re- 
clined the youth Thavanan, lost in gloomy 
meditation. The lines of cares and study 
were indelibly stamped upon his elevated 
forehead ; and although the bent brow and 
the quivering lip betokened a stern mental 
conflict, still courage and high daring shone 
bright through the shroud of revenge which 
had settled over his dark features. The 
white robe of Abyssinia lay uneasy on the 
shoulder as his frame heaved in torture be- 
neath ; and the blue silk cord which en- 
circled his neck, the badge of Christianity, 
nearly burst in twain as the swollen sinews 
started from the throat, in this his hour of 
agony. 

A fearful storm raged without. Thun- 
der rolled in continued peals, crumbling in 
pieces the sparry roof over-head, and the 
hot lightning illumined ever nook and cor- 
ner of the retreat, while the waters of the 
broad lake, now raised in wrath, came dash- 
ing and foaming through the narrow en- 
trance with all the violence of a winter sea. 
But the war of the elements was unheeded 



by the sufferer, and ever and anon, starting 
from his recumbent position, he paced the 
uneven floor of the slippery cavern, striking 
his breast in agitated desperation, and 
fiercely shaking his hand on high. 

"Years have rolled away since that with- 
ering moment," he exclaimed, " but the 
wound is yet green in the mind, and the 
feeling is still fresh as when writhing under 
the searing iron of the tyrant. The star 
medaboot proclaims the hour of the requi- 
site sacrifice. I acknowledge thy power, 
great Genius of the Water. Warobal 
Mama, I call for thy aid. 

Stripping the robe from his person, and 
tearing the bandage from his mutilated and 
sightless eye, he roused a sleeping goat 
from the corner of the cave. A garland of 
yellow flowers was wreathed in fantastic 
folds among the long sharp horns, and a 
white collar twined its mystic threads 
around the throat. The animal had been 
a favorite of former days while browsing 
on the green meadows of Shoa, and know- 
ing the voice of its master, it quietly fol- 
lowed his footsteps into the centre of the 
grotto. 

The bright eyes were turned upwara in 
confiding innocence as it licked the hand 
which had so often fed and caressed it ; 
but all pity and compassion wen; effaced 
in one fiery feeling of revenge. The words 
of the dread spell to the spirit of the deep 
were poured forth on the rcidnight blast ; 
the sharp knife gleamed for a moment in 
the feeble light of the waning torch, and 
during the next was plunged into the heart 
of the unresisting victim. 

Shrieks filled the csvern, and unearthly 
echoes were flung back from every side of 
the broken vault, white the life-stream gur- 
gled on to mingle w*th the mad waters of 
the lake ; and as the last faint groan was 
rendered from the expiring animal, the 
badge and symbol of Christianity* received 
the trickling drops of the crimson tide 
which had flowed to the honor of the ge- 
nius and his satellites. 

A sulphur-colored fowl was next sub- 
jected to the necessary preparations for 
the sacrifice. One eye was deliberately 
scooped out amid blasphemy and execra- 
tion, and the bright blue cord which had 
hitherto graced the neck of the Christian, 
now gory with unhallowed blood, was 
bound in a mysterious knot on this the 
second victim to the powers of darkness. 
The holy cross was suspended to the dese- 

* The cord of blue silk styled "mateb," which in 
Abyssinia is worn around the neck of the Christian to 
denote his faith, has usually a small silver cross ap- 
pended. 







— 


1 


N 


«1 




>>, 








^ 








c»3 


e3 


•^ 



THE MAGIC LAKE— THE HALLS OF SORCERY. 



201 



crated thread ; and having raised the flick- 
ering embers with sweet woods and subtle 
essences, Thavanan crushed the head of 
the fowl under his heel until the brains 
flowed, and then dashed the body deep 
among the pile. 

The flame shot aloft in one fierce spire 
of light, blazing like the arrow of the in- 
fernal host, and, again satiate with the pun- 
gent offering, sank amid a stifling cloud of 
fetid smoke. Casting himself upon the 
rocky floor in an attitude of prostration, 
the youth listened in awe to the moans of 
the wind which had succeeded to the hur- 
ricane, revelling heretofore in fierceness 
during the performance of the rite. But 
his courage was firm as the foundations 
t)f Mamrat ; and it was well for him that 
his heart quailed not during that hour of 
perilous endurance. 

Yells and shrieks burst through the cav- 
ern. Foul spirits mowed and chattered in 
his ear, and the cold rushing of pinions 
flapping lazily through the air, wetted him 
with slimy spray. But revenge and des- 
peration had steeled his nerves ; and after 
a period of intense misery, which appeared 
without limit to the sufferer, the melan- 
choly sound of a drum came faintly boom- 
ing over the face of the waters — the wel- 
come token that the hour of trial was past, 
and that the sacrifice had been accepted. 
Waxing louder and louder, the pealing of 
the music shook the rocks with its contin- 
uous reverberations. Unearthly voices, 
ceasing to torment, faded altogether away ; 
and the renegade, casting one look on the 
ashes of things holy and once prized, step- 
ped forth from the mouth of the cavern. 

Wild and fearful was the scene which 
met his gaze. The moon had for a mo- 
ment emerged from behind a dense canopy, 
settled dark and thick around the eastern 
horizon. Huge masses of pale cloud over- 
head, assumin'g the likeness of armed 
hosts, careered in fierce pursuit along the 
midnight vault of heaven ; and from every 
quarter the roar of thunder, with the burst- 
ing of the levin bolt, proclaimed to the as- 
tounded beholder that spirits of another 
world were engaged in awful contention. 

Unruffled by the breeze, the great lake 
spread a sheet of molten silver at his feet ; 
while every cliff* and crag, revealed boldly 
to view, was fearfully lit up by the reflected 
glare of an unearthly lurid flame, which 
at short intervals spouted in jets from the 
centre of the expanse, amid streams of 
wild, melancholy music, and the clash of 
the magic drum. 

Roused to daring deeds in this moment 
of frantic excitement, with one short praver 
14 



to the spirit he had invoked, Thavanan 
plunged headlong into the cold deep wa- 
ters, which gurgled and bubbled over his 
descending form ; but baffled in his design 
to reach the glittering white sand — now 
the only haven of his hope — he rose once 
more to the surface. 

All was dark, dismal, and lonely. A 
thick fog covered the water, and the earth, 
and the sky, while the voice of his better 
angel alone came moaning through the 
mist, bewailing the lost soul of a son of 
Adam. Again and again he struggled to 
reach the glowing bed of the lake, but 
mortal strength and energy were unavail- 
ing to pierce the fathomless abyss. The 
clear, searching element rushed unresisted 
into his mouth and ears — the faintness'of 
death spread over his exhausted limbs — 
and his senseless form, tossed to and fro, 
became the sport of the heaving billow. 

But the sound of the spell had swept 
along the blast, and the savor of the sacri- 
fice had penetrated into the halls of magic. 
A long, sinewy arm raised the body high 
over the water. The drum again pealed 
-through the boundless space ; the bright 
fire threw one last triumphant stream aloft 
above the surface, and a heavy plunge be- 
neath the waves was succeeded by the 
utter silence of Solitude. 



The soft tinkling sound of harps first 
stole upon the slumbers of the neophyte. 
Bright, happy visions flitted over his awa- 
kening senses, and the sweet melody of 
voices ushered him again into existence. 
Starting from his trance, the bewildered 
Thavanan found ample scope for the indul- 
gence of his wonder and astonishment. 
Far as the eye could scan, innumerable 
arcades stretched in endless vistas on 
every side, with alternating domes of the 
purest pearl. Pillars of variously-colored 
amber and crystal rose to sustain the 
glowing fabric, and cloths, such as empe- 
rors alone can boast, strewed the floo^ in 
unbounded profusion. 

In the centre of each gallery ^°°d &n 
altar of virgin silver, from whic ; * a never- 
failing arrow of flame diffuse* m mellow 
light over the glittering pile's of the hall, 
tints varied as the hue? o f the rainbow. 
Around their more searching sister, jets 
of sweet-scented v*ter, playing high in 
the air, scattered <^e most exquisite odor ; 
and dancing ov the apex of each fountain, 
a sparkling°-merald, the ransom of a mon- 
arch, geccly regulated the rush of the pris- 
matic stream, in token that the elements 
were here held under control x 



302 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Superb paintings, illuminated in trans- 
parency, shed a dreamy languor over the 
scene, and music lent her exhaustless 
charms to captivate the sense. Sweet 
strains of triumph, ringing in full chorus 
among the lofty domes, died gently away 
into the softness of repose ; and at times 
the low murmur of the waves fell pleas- 
ingly upon the ear, as the lake poured forth 
her springs in homage to the master spirit, 
and imprinted the kiss of obedience on the 
magic abode of Warobal Mama. 

Colossal statues of Famine, War, and 
Pestilence, frowning upon their lofty pe- 
destals, towered in all the sternness of brass 
above the glories of this rich and varied 
scene. Reared over the iron drum of mis- 
fortune, the knotted mace was grasped in 
each giant arm, and the awful peal struck 
before the coming calamity was well known 
to the dismayed inhabitants of the upper 
regions of earth. 

Arts and sciences had each their sepa- 
rate niche in the spacious apartment, and 
favored votaries were deeply engaged in 
scanning subtle essences, or preparing po- 
tent spells. The hum of confused voices 
arose sweet through the fragrant atmo- 
sphere, while at intervals strange emblems 
and tokens were delivered by the elders to 
the attending pupils, who each sprang aloft 
upon gaudy pinions to execute the behest 
of his superior. But the smiling face of 
fair woman was wanting to complete the 
scene ; for love was unknown in this re- 
treat dedicated to the dread spirit of the 
lake. 

- In the immediate vicinity of the wonder- 
ing mortal, an elevated throne stood the 
most conspicuous object. Spiral steps of 
molten gold led to the shrine of power. 
Previous stones, sparkling in rich wreaths 
of enamel, hung a brilliant balustrade in 
front — and forming the seat of high honor 
and place, a white ivory shell, filled with 
silken tresses, rested amid the shining 
leaves of the ever-flowering lotus. The 
sevsnake rose in glittering green folds to 
rective in his soft embrace the recumbent 
occupvnt ; and ministering spirits of strange 
form, beting harp and censer, were ranged 
in silence vj-ound. 

Thunderii*j peals of music, and a sud- 
den prostration, proclaimed the presence 
of the genius of ^e place ; and, amid the 
clash of the lute a*<j timbrel, a cloud of 
incense floating high over head disclosed 
a diminutive dwarf crooning on the shi- 
ning shell. His aspect was *iild and bene- 
ficent, and a flowing white beard entirely 
covered his minute person ; but th? essence 
of ethereal intelligence shot from hie pier- 



cing black eye, and a pale fire played among 
his long yellow locks. Again the harps 
rung out the silver notes of welcome, and 
a vocal chorus was wafted to the delighted 
ear of the intruder : 

" Ask for riches, ask for wealth, 
For kingdom, strength, or iron sway, 
Paramount in lady's bower, 
Revenge for wrong, or length of day." 

Borne forward by an irresistible impulse, 
Thavanan found himself among the kneel- 
ing crowd in front of the throne, and a soft 
still voice proceeded from the high place : 
" Mortal, what wouldst thou with us ? An- 
swer without fear." " Revenge," replied 
the petitioner, " revenge for injury unpro- 
voked — a house rifled and burnt, a fair sis- 
ter carried to the lawless harem, and the 
eyeball blasted for ever, of one who had 
heretofore looked upon the great monarch 
of Shoa as a perfect Deity upon earth." 

" Let the child of clay take the oath of 
allegiance, and he instructed to obtain his 
wish," responded the being in whose tiny 
form was concentrated such power and 
grandeur ; and as the words proceeded from 
his lips, the floor shook and suddenly sank 
under the foot of the proselyte, and Tha- 
vanan stood with an attending spirit in the 
centre of a gloomy grotto. 

A blood-red cross, which flashed and 
flamed in the darkness, revealed sights hor- 
rible to behold, and conjured before the 
imagination thoughts upon which it was 
then madness to dwell. But daring to the 
last, the apostate, in presence of the sym- 
bol of Christianity, abjured all the high 
hopes of heaven. Revenge upon earth fill- 
ed his soul for the moment ; and although 
the touch of that blessed sign struck through 
his young heart like the sharp stab of the 
searing iron, the fearful oath was firmly 
and distinctly repeated. 



CHAPTER LXXIX. 

THAVANAN THE TORMENTOR. 

Weeks and months had passed away 
since the disappearance of the gay Tha- 
vanan, once the favorite of the potent mon- 
arch of Shoa. Fallen in a single day from 
his high estate, and deprived of an eye be- 
fore the scoffing multitude, the innocent 
victim to intrigue had departed alone and 
on foot through the gateway of the palace. 
A thousand cavaliers had that morning 
obeyed his least command, but not one at- 
tended him in the hour of adversity ; and 
shunned as a thing accursed by the brutal 
mob, he wended his way in moody silence 



THE PALACE HAUNTED— THE EXILE. 



203 



to hie home in the green meadow of the 
Chaka. But the myrmidons of tyranny 
had outstripped his heavy footstep. Ashes 
alone proclaimed the site of his late flour- 
ishing abode, and a solitary goat, bleating 
amid the ruins, was all that remained of 
his once numerous possessions. 

A neighbor told the tale. The king's 
aferoch had been busy since early morn, 
and everything had been swept away with 
the besom of destruction. The flocks and 
the herds of the disgraced noble were now 
in the royal pastures, and his family and 
relatives, his serfs and drudges, in the 
household of the despotic monarch. Stun- 
ned by the fatal intelligence, Thavanan, 
follewed only by the goat, withdrew unno- 
ticed from the scene of desolation, and his 
name was for a time forgotten in the land. 
Toward the close of the year strange re- 
ports were circulated from the palace. 
Unseen hands abstracted the choicest vi- 
ands — the clearest hydromel was drained 
ere it reached the expectant lip — and a 
thousand vagaries were played in the great 
hall of entertainment. The replenished 
horn was dashed untasted to the ground, 
and the delicate tit-bit transferred from the 
gaping mouth to the rushes which strewed 
the floor. The monarch himself was by 
no means exempt from the foul plague, 
and his palate was daily cheated of accus- 
tomed dainties. Before the arrival of the 
destined morsel the coarsest fare was in- 
variably dropped in ; and once, to the hor- 
ror of the assembled courtiers, a bloody 
tail was inserted as the royal jaws opened 
to essay a dish prepared in the seraglio — a 
loud laugh ringing meanwhile among the 
rafters of the banqueting-room, which 
struck upon the ear of the discomfited des- 
pot like the merry tones of his exiled favo- 
rite. 

Priests were called in to the rescue — 
holy books were read, and consecrated 
water profusely sprinkled over the walls, 
but all without the slightest effect. Doors 
were closed and double-locked, and guards 
were planted over every aperture, yet still 
the pest continued without any abatement. 
The palace was in a state of terror and 
confusion, and the life of the king became 
weary and burdensome. 

Awful voices now sounded at night 
through the lone apartments, and appari- 
tions haunted the imperial slumbers. The 
band of nocturnal singers was trebled, but 
the stout lungs of thirty hale priests who 
surrounded the royal bed-chamber, and 
elevated their voices in psalm to a more 
frantic key than had ever before been heard 
in Shoa, failed to intimidate the goblin. 
14* 



Tossing on his couch, the restless mon- 
arch sunk weary to sleep, only to be jaded 
by spectres and evil dreams, in which the 
mutilated Thavanan invariably appeared 
as the chief tormentor. 

For months the nuisance continued with- 
out intermission ; and on the high festival 
of Easter, harassed and exhausted, the ne- 
goos took his customary seat in the great 
hall of his ancestors. The groaning table 
was once again well filled. The holy feast 
had induced chiefs and nobles in some 
degree to overcome the fears which had 
latterly estranged them entirely from the 
banquet ; but there was no joy in the de- 
pressed eye, no mirth or hilarity on the 
tongue of the guest, and a low whisper 
hardly disturbed the silence which reigned 
among the dismayed assembly. 

The usual infernal sallies were on this 
day practiced exclusively at the royal 
board, before which the uneasy monarch, 
occupying a high alcove, and surrounded 
by pages and men-at-arms, reclined in his 
wonted grandeur. Fretted almost to mad- 
ness by the exercise of unseen agency, he 
had become the point toward which every 
eye was directed, when another figure sud- 
denly appeared at the table, resting one 
hand in a curiously wrought earthen vase, 
and extending the other high, in defiance 
toward the throne. 

"The lost Thavanan!" shouted the 
crowd: "he has pawned his soul to the 
fiend" — and swords flashed from the scab- 
bard as men's hearts beat with courage at 
the sight of danger in a tangible form. 
But high over the storm rose the voice of 
the despot : — " Back, minions, back ! we 
will ourselves deal with the ingrate. Death 
— but a lingering death — shall be the por- 
tion of him who trifles with the pleasure 
of kings !" 

It was indeed Thavanan who confound- 
ed the frown of majesty ; but how changed 
from the mild and handsome favorite of 
former days ! White as the feather of the 
rasa, his dishevelled hair floated in silky 
tresses over the bent shoulder, and stern 
revenge was graven in the deep furrows of 
his pallid cheek. His solitary eye gleamed 
with more than mortal expression, and 
bright with the cabalistic figures of magic 
lore, a golden fillet screened the mutilated 
orb. Retaining his disdainful position, he 
cast first a withering- glance over the 
crowd, and then addressed the prince in 
the words of scorn : 

" False monarch, repent in time, for the 
abject worm will turn upon its destroyer. 
Proud descendant of the race of Solomon, 
the wit of thy illustrious ancestor is dull in 



mm 



204 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



comparison with the wisdom of the mean- 
est disciple of Warobal. I defy thy myr- 
midons and thyself." 

And cleaving through the air as he ut- 
tered these words, Thavanan instantane- 
ously disappeared from before the gaze of 
the astounded and crest-fallen court. 

The waters of the mystic vase hissed 
and bubbled for a moment. A dark cloud 
of stifling steam shot aloft, and a thick 
crust of red ashes, which strewed the board, 
remained the sole memento of the unwel- 
come obtrusion. Again the hearts of the 
vassals fell within them; and while a 
gloomy silence pervaded the hall, the tri- 
umphant song of the tormentor came ring- 
ing among the notes of wild music. 

"Far down in the depths of the azure blue, 
Away from the mists of the cold dull sky, 
Concealed from detested mortal view, 
Thavanan lives in liberty." 

The heart of the tyrant quailed before 
the dread powers which were in array 
against him ; and resolving upon an act of 
tardy justice, freedom was restored to the 
degraded and enslaved family, and confis- 
cated lands returned threefold to the im- 
poverished race. But the door of the royal 
harem was closed on the fair daughter of 
the house of Thavanan, and the wail of 
the captive maid still cried aloud for re- 
dress. Persecution, nevertheless, ceased 
for a time ; and men breathed more freely 
as their hopes gained ground that the spirit 
of the Avenger was appeased. 

On the proclamation of the annual mil- 
itary expedition, the chiefs and nobles of 
the land thronged once more to the capital. 
Swarming around the black tents of their 
warrior leaders, multitudes were . spread 
over hill and dale, and the Amhara host, 
in all its savage magnificence, had mus- 
tered on the highest mountains of Anko. 
But the evil omens and portentous signs 
were witnessed continually. Dogs howl- 
ed unceasingly during the livelong night. 
Throughout the hours of day, the shrike 
croaked from every bush ; and the merlin, 
turning her back on the passing cavalier, 
arranged her sober plumage on the stone, 
without bestowing, in earnest of victory 
and success, one glimpse of her snow- 
white breast. 

No heed was given by the stern mon- 
arch to these portents of coming evil ; and 
on the eve of the intended march the halls 
of the palace were crowded with all the 
chivalry of Efat. Boisterous mirth pre- 
sided at the banquet ; but as the last horn 
of old hydromel was drained to the down- 
fall of the Gall a, there arose a fearful cry 
from the interior inclosure, and bands of 



eunuchs, with horror depicted upon their 
withered countenances, burst into the 
chamber from every direction. Falling 
prostrate at the footstool of the throne, 
they proclaimed the disaster which had de- 
scended like a thunderbolt on the heretofore 
unsullied honor of the nation. " He has 
left the old and the ugly," sobbed the trem- 
bling guardians ; " but alas for the fair and 
beautiful ones of the harem, they are all 
gone on the wings of the evening wind !" 

King and nobles rushed into the court- 
yard, and every hut which crowned the 
pinnacle of the capital poured forth its in- 
mates to gaze at the wondrous spectacle. 
High over the upreared peak of the moun- 
tain soared a rich rosy cloud, lit by the 
last glorious rays of the setting sun, and 
charged with a freight more prized than 
the fine gold of Kordofan. Amhara's fair- 
est daughters were revealed to the unhal- 
lowed view of the gaping multitude, and 
no envious vest shrouded their amazing 
charms. All had been caught up by the 
whirlwind in the simple dress of ordinary 
avocation ; and as their light laughing 
voices came tinkling from above, they car- 
ried the bitter truth to the exasperated 
monarch, that the captives enjoyed their 
present thraldom as a happy release from 
the bolt of the harem gate, and the rod of 
the testy old eunuch. 

Dishonored in the eyes of his subjects, 
and smarting under the loss of objects 
which still held a place in his heart, the 
despot stamped and raged in uncontrolla- 
ble fury. The beat of the nugareet and 
the voice of the herald forthwith proclaim- 
ed the abandonment of the projected expe- 
dition ; and, plunged in the deepest mor- 
tification, Asfa Woosen retired to brood in 
solitude over his unprecedented misfortune. 

Morn witnessed the dispersion to their 
respective quarters of governors and their 
levies ; and before the shades of evening 
had closed over the deep valley of the Ai- 
rara, a breathless courier galloped through 
the palace-gates with the unlooked-for but 
welcome tidings, that the ladies of the 
royal harem had been discovered reposing 
unattended among the high fern and hea- 
ther of the adjacent mountain side. 

Again were the parchment faces of the 
wrinkled eunuchs radiant in sallow r lustre. 
Three hundred mules were incontinently 
dispatched for the conveyance of the truant 
flock to their fold ; and at midnight the 
muffled damsels, streaming under a full 
guard up the steep hill, were consigned, 
amid the cracked exultations of attendants, 
to their wonted cages in the palace. 

But the fair sister of Thavanan was not 



THE MAGIC SCROLL— THE CURSE. 



205 



of the number, neither could any clue be 
obtained to her fate or condition. A small 
scroll had indeed been discovered on the 
turf, sealed and bearing the address of the 
ruler of Shoa — a gigantic glow-worm, at- 
tached by a single yellow hair to the en- 
velope, having shone clear in the gloom 
of night, and particularly attracted atten- 
tion to that which it was conjectured 
might contain the desired information. 

The curiosity of the king finally over- 
came the cautious scruples of the priest- 
hood, who advised the immediate destruc- 
tion of the missive. As the wax crumbled 
between his fingers, . a roar of thunder 
shook the palace to its foundations, while 
a stream of black dust, pouring from the 
parchment to the table, gradually assumed 
the semblance of* a withering pillar of sand 
agitated by the fierce whirl of the storm. 
Careering in mazy circles around the 
board, it towered at length high in front of 
the royal person. A pungent odor im- 
pregnated the apartment, and the crackling 
sound of the devouring element was fol- 
lowed by the presence of the dread tor- 
mentor. 

"I have come once again, monarch of 
the hard heart, to repay the debt which is 
still due, and blasted like the much-injured 
Thavanan, thy soul may henceforward en- 
tertain some feeling of pity for thy fellow- 
men. Listen to thy doom. No mercy 
was shown unto me, and none shall be ex- 
tended to the. Thy son, after a short reign 
of terror, shall fall by the hand of a slave, 
and die cursing the author of his existence ; 
and thy son's son shall bear upon his dis- 
figured countenance the searing mark of 
his ancestor's cruelty. My face thou shalt 
see no more — Spirit of the flame, perform 
thy task. A bright flash shot from the 
centre of the dark threatening column, and 
curled toward the face of the king — a 
sickening sulphuric fume filling the pres- 
ence chamber, and the necromancer van- 
ished in the thick smoke. 

Plunged for hours in a death-like stupor, 
Asfa Woosen was only aroused from his 
lethargy to bewail the loss of the left eye, 
which had been scorched in the socket by 
the contact of the fierce flame. The ca- 
lamity greatly softened and influenced the 
actions of his after life ; and torture and 
mutilation, becoming daily more rare, grew 
gradually out of custom in the kingdom of 
Shoa. 

During the reign of his grandson, the 
one-eyed Sahela Selassie, there dwelt in a 
mossy cavern, among the recesses of the 
forest of Mantek, a hermit of renowned 
sanctity. Father Peter was universally 



feared and beloved. None knew from 
whence he derived food or nourishment. » 
for alms were never requested. The skin 
of the agazin formed his humble garb, and 
a rude leathern girdle encircled his loins. 
His charms and amulets were never known 
to fail in obtaining the object of desire, 
and his language was not that of other 
men. Crowds daily gathered round his 
cave in the rock to receive on their knees 
the benediction of the recluse ; but no one 
had ever entered the cell, and few cared to 
pass it after nightfall. Moans and cries 
of agony then mingled with the midnight 
blast ; and the sharp sound of the whip, 
lacerating the naked person, was often 
heard amid piteous prayers for deliverance 
from the evil one. 

On a sweet morning of May, when the 
roses and jasmines were scenting the 
dewy air, the wild flowers springing in 
fanciful enamel over the face of the green 
meadow, and birds warbled pleasantly 
among the rich foliage of the deep forest, 
the peasants came as usual to listen to the 
words of other days, and to receive the 
blessing of the austere anchorite. But the 
accustomed seat was vacant, and no an- 
swer being returned to the raised voice of 
inquiry, the boldest entered the retreat. 
Curiously emblazoned scrolls and relics 
were strewed among the nooks and mouldy 
recesses of the damp grotto ; the body of 
the venerable hermit was stretched in 
peaceful slumber upon a bed of sharp 
stones ; and the tale soon spread through 
the land that the holy Father Peter — now 
no more — was indeed the dread necro- 
mancer Thavanan, who had thus, by the 
continued penance of half a century, ex- 
piated his fierce act of apostacy. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

THE REIGN OF SUPERSTITION. 

Not a monk is there in any of the lone 
monasteries of Shoa ; not a hermit of the 
many in her cold mountains ; not a dwart 
nor a decrepit priest, who has renounced 
the society of his fellow-men, that does 
not enjoy the reputation of being fully 
competent to blast the harvest at pleasure, 
to poison the fountain, and to render the 
able-bodied incapable — that does not look 
deep into the page of futurity, foretell com- 
ing events, and vend charms, offensive and 
defensive. Talismans, written in mystic 
characters, are mixed with the seeds and 
leaves of potent witch plants, gathered by 



306 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



the hand of the forest recluse. These af- 
ford a feeling of security, which is not to 
be extracted from the pages of the gospel ; 
nor does any one ever venture to mount 
his mule without being first ensconced in 
paper armor, as a preservative against the 
spear of the bandit, or the sharp knife of 
the heathen. 

Savage man, obtaining only through the 
medium of his own wishes and imagin- 
ation, a glimmering idea of the invisible 
and Supreme Power, seeks out some tan- 
gible object of veneration, and some osten- 
sible source of protection. Thus the Abys- 
sinian, whose vague religious ideas afford 
him but small consolation in the hour of 
tribulation ; and but little reliance of secu- 
rity or deliverance in the day of danger 
and distress, reposes implicit faith in the 
doctrine of amulets, which present a sub- 
stance stamped with a mystic and super- 
natural character, and one capable of be- 
ing attached individually to himself. The 
arms and neck are therefore clothed in a 
perfect panoply of charms, against the in- 
fluence of every misfortune and disease, 
whether experienced or anticipated ; and 
the tulsim, which is a worked zone, stud- 
ded with minute leathern pockets, contain- 
ing sacred spells, enveloped in double and 
treble wrappers, encircles the waist of 
every man, woman, and child, throughout 
the Christian dominions of Sahela Selas- 
sie, who himself reposes firm faith in their 
efficacy. 

The influence of the evil eye exercises 
a strong control over the minds of high 
and low. Bad spirits are believed to roam 
about the earth and the waters, and to oc- 
cupy houses after dark, whence the Ara- 
hara never ventures to throw fluid on the 
ground, lest the dignity of some unseen elf 
should be violated. The Beza, or sacrifice 
for the sick, is considered lawful and effi- 
cacious, and is frequently resorted to. The 
bullock, which is designed as the type of 
the invalid, after being driven round his 
couch amid singing and clamor, is slaugh- 
tered outside the threshold ; or an egg is 
turned thrice toward the head of the pa- 
tient, and then broken beside him. St. 
Michael is by many of the more ignorant 
supposed to be the Almighty. The Virgin 
Mary is considered the creatrix of the 
world ; and Sunday is understood to have 
been a saint of surprising sanctity, greatly 
superior both to St. George and St. Michael, 
whence his claim to one day out of seven, 
while other saints enjoy their festival only 
once during the month. 

No Amhara will venture to destroy a 
serpent save on Saturday or Sunday, when 



the sight of one of these reptiles is deemed 
a favorable omen. In common with the 
heathen Galla the Christians of Shoa make 
annual votive sacrifices in June to Sar, the 
evil spirit — continuing the idolatrous prac- 
tice notwithstanding its strict penal inter- 
diction by royal proclamation. Three men 
and a woman, who understand how to deal 
with the Evil One, having assembled at the 
place appointed, proceed to perform the 
ceremony in a house newly swept. A gin- 
ger-colored hen, a red she-coat, or a male 
Adel goat with a white collar, is sacrificed ; 
and the blood of the victim, having been 
mixed with grease and butter, is secretly 
placed during the night in a narrow alley, 
when all who step therein are supposed to 
receive the malady of the invalid, who is 
thus restored to perfect health. During a 
visit some years ago to Motatit, the king 
perceived evidences of this pagan ceremony 
in the streets ; and tracing the rite to a 
wealthy individual who had caused it to be 
performed in order to free himself of dis- 
ease* the honor of true religion was speed- 
ily vindicated by the transfer to the royal 
coffers of all the worldly substance of the 
delinquent. 

Under cover of the night, a thread of 
cotton yarn is often stretched by the hired 
sorcerer completely round some devoted 
tenement ; and the extremities having been 
connected by means of an iron link well 
imbued in blood, the walls and door-posts 
are freely sprinkled and bedaubed with 
gore. Day dawns upon the incantation, 
which is believed to be the work of the 
devil himself; and among all the assem- 
bled multitude, who consider that some 
heavy calamity, if not instant death, would 
follow the act, there is not to be found one 
individual sufficiently bold to remove the 
spell, and thus deliver the inmates from its 
withering influence. Since the king's ar- 
rival in the -capital, the appearance of the 
bloody finger on the wall had thrown the 
inhabitants into the deepest consternation ; 
and to the astonishment of every bystander, 
a missionaiy of the Church of England tore 
away the charm without any evil conse- 
quences following his rashness. That very 
night, however, the defeated necromancer 
planned an attack to rob the clergyman's 
premises, and it was only defeated by the 
extra vigilance preserved in consequence 
of the exposure of the impostor. 

The drum of the water kelpy is heard by 
the credulous native in the echo of every 
roaring cataract, and the wretch drowning 
in the swollen torrent, is believed to be 
dragged under the overwhelming wave as 
the highly coveted food of the malicious 



THE ENCHANTED GARDEN— THE BOUDAK. 



20T 



spirit of the deep. Divers plants and herbs 
possoss properties and qualities the most 
baneful ; and a bunch of the Fegain grass, 
if skilfully cast upon the person of an ob- 
noxious enemy, produces dire disease and 
speedy death. Sorcerers and necromancers 
attaining the respectable age of four and 
five hundred years, exist in numbers in 
many parts of the land, flitting through the 
air, and riding upon the wings of the wind ; 
and unbidden and invisible guests, such as 
Thavanan the Tormentor, enter the ban- 
queting hall, to rob the festive board of its 
choicest viands. 

Hid from mortal gaze, and realizing upon 
earth all the delights of paradise, the magic 
village of Dooka Stephanos forms the 
never-failing topic of all wonder-loving 
souls, and the poetic fancy of Abyssinia 
has been fairly exhausted in descriptions of 
this rare scene of blissful enjoyment. " Its 
sleep-inviting groves and grassy lawns be- 
tween, are situated on the overflowing 
Nile ; and there, released from the loose 
shackles of wedlock, beautiful females 
abound. Potent liquors pour on in never- 
drying streams, and the earth yields her 
spontaneous fruits without care or labor. 
But shrouded in magic mist, these Elysian 
fields open their portals only to those mor- 
tals of commanding form and handsome 
features, on whom the glance of favor has 
been cast by the bewitching inmates of the 
enchanted garden. Human endeavor is 
ineffectual to unriddle the mystery in which 
it is enveloped ; and the dread art of the 
sorcerer and his most potent talismans, 
prove alike unavailing to loosen the spell 
for the advantage of those on whom Dame 
Nature has bestowed a crooked figure, or 
even an ill-starred visage." 

In accordance with the customs of the 
dark ages, dwarfs are nevertheless treated 
with considerable respect, and regarded 
with the utmost fear. Many of the most 
learned and praiseworthy in the land are 
to be found among those who have been 
created during nature's freaks. The mon- 
arch's father confessor, a perfect Asmodeus 
in appearance, is of extremely diminutive 
stature, and fashioned after a truly hideous 
model ; but he is possessed of singular 
good feeling, and forms a gratifying con- 
trast to the majority of his countrymen. 
The chiefs and nobles often select their 
secretaries and household priests with refe- 
rence to their bodily imperfections ; and 
the most erudite sage in the capital, whose 
charms and talismans are esteemed all- 
powerful, and who knoweth every plant 
from the " cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop 
that springeth out of the wall," sustains 



his character for wisdom and for ore, as 
much by the deformity of his appearance 
as by the brilliancy of his understanding. 
By the credulous Abyssinian, the black- 
smith and the worker in iron is held to be 
endowed with supernatural powers, and to 
be able to transform himself at pleasure 
into the likeness of a wolf or a hyena. It 
is a common practice among this class of 
handicrafts, to fasten a metal collar about 
the neck of the whelps of those animals, 
and turn them loose ; when the badge be- 
ing retained through life, and occasionally 
seen, the fabulous stories in circulation 
are strengthened in the eyes of the unin- 
itiated. 

Sickness and misfortune are usually 
ascribed to the influence of the evil eye of 
the boudak.* Long consultations are held 
to discover from whose sinister glance the 
calamity has emanated ; and when suspi- 
cion has gradually settled into conviction, 
the most implacable hatred is conceived, 
and ever afterward cherished toward the 
delinquent ; and although concealed under 
that garb of indifference, which the savage 
can so successfully assume, yet the oppor- 
tunity of revenge is never suffered to pass 
unheeded in after-life. Hailoo, the father 
of Oubie, the late Nero-like dedjasmach 
of Tigre, added much to his previous no- 
toriety by the extermination of all the bou- 
daks who fell within his murderous reach. 
Superstition exulted in reeking hecatombs 
of human victims ; and the love and vene- 
ration of his subjects knew no bounds, on 
his last summary act of collecting togeth- 
er and roasting to death thirteen hundred 
of these miserable artificers, who were 
suspected to possess, and to have exerted 
with success, the influence of " the evil 
eye." 

The presence of any Christian emblem, 
or portion of Holy Writ, is supposed suffi- 
cient to neutralize the labors of the Vulcan. 
No metal can be welded within sight of 
the cross ; and should any scrap of the 
Bible be worn on the person of the by- 
standers, the desired figure can never be 
imparted. Shortly after the return of the 
embassy, a bar of iron was to be transform- 
ed into a tire for the wheel of a gun-car- 
riage ; and the small draft of air created 
by a pair of primitive native bellows prov- 
ing of no avail, the smiths declared aloud, 
that the phenomenon arose from some holy 
charms. Badges and emblems, spells and 
amulets, were cast aside by all ; but the 
labor was renewed without any better ef- 
fect, and the artizans stood aghast. A 

— — — 

* The Blacksmith. 



208 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



pair of British forge-bellows were now pro- 
duced, and the assembly were requested to 
don their paper armor, and to stand round 
the anvil. The potent blast poured from 
the nozzle, and under the brawny arm of 
the European, the sparks flew far and wide. 
In five minutes the work was completed, 
to the dismay of the Ayssinian magicians, 
who came privately to request that no fur- 
ther public exhibition of the sort might 
thenceforth be made, lest their name and 
their glory should be extinguished through- 
out the land. 



CHAPTER LXXXI. 

EXCURSION ALONG THE NORTH-WESTERN 
FRONTIER OF EFAT. 

Reflections elicited among the chival- 
rous people of Shoa, by the refusal of the 
British embassy to slaughter defenceless 
pagans during the murderous expedition to 
Entotto, rendered it imperative that some 
decided step should be taken by which to 
wipe out the stain, and restore the tarnish- 
ed lustre of the foreign name. The de- 
struction of an adult elephant, which is 
reckoned equivalent to that of forty Gal- 
la, is an achievement that had not been 
accomplished within the memory of the 
present age, although mentioned in tra- 
ditions connected with the exploits of the 
most renowned Ethiopic warriors. Per- 
mission was accordingly solicited to visit 
the distant wilderness of Giddem, on the 
northern frontier of Efat, in the dense for- 
ests of which the giant of the mammalia 
was reported to reside — a pretext which 
further afforded plausible grounds for ex- 
ploring a portion of the country reputed to 
be among the most fertile and productive 
in Abyssinnia. 

The king opened his eyes wider than 
usual at this unprecedented application. 
" My children," he returned deliberately, 
" how can this be ? Elephants are not to 
be slain with rifle-balls. They will demol- 
ish you ; and what answer am I then to 
give ? The gun is the medicine for the 
Galla in the tree, but it has no effect upon 
the zihoon."* 

Finding his guests resolved, however, 
his majesty's most gracious permission was 
finally accorded to depart forthwith, and 
orders were issued to a royal messenger, 
who was appointed to accompany the for- 
lorn hope, commanding the governors of 
provinces through which the route lay, to 

* Elephant. 



afford every assistance in their power to 
" the strong strangers of the negoos." 
But all assertions relative to the possibility 
of destroying the monarch of the forest, 
were still received with an incredulous 
shake of the head ; and while not the 
smallest expectations were entertained at 
court of the success of the Gyptzis, the 
greatest ridicule attended the publicity of 
an undertaking, which by all classes at the 
capital was considered certain to prove 
alike foolhardy, dangerous, and futile. 

Instructions had been issued that the 
king's guests were to be conducted by the 
royal road over the Gorabela mountain, a 
singular mark of condescension partaken 
but by few in the realm. A most exten- 
sive panorama was enjoyed from the hea- 
ther-grown heights. Mamrat reared her 
stupendous head perpendicularly from the 
dark-wooded bosom of the valley, and 
seemed half buried in the clouds. The 
palisaded-buildings of the palace covering 
the slope of its isolated hill, rose in pride 
over the numberless circular houses of the 
straggling eastern metropolis. Clumps of 
the sombre juniper and spreading cossos, 
hung with red garlands of mast, formed 
vistas on every side. On the one hand 
the lofty blue range of Bulga faded into the 
azure sky, and on the other the eye ranged 
uncontrolled over the boundless plains of 
the savage Ada'iel, spread out below, like a 
great chart, and embracing a prospect of 
many hundred square miles. Full in the 
centre soared the stern crater of Abida — 
the beacon which in days long gone mark- 
ed the dominions of the proud 'emperors of 
Ethiopia, when, according to the tradition- 
ary couplet, " their sceptre swayed from 
Azulo to the Bashilo, and from Errur to 
Gondar." 

The porters at the royal lodge were on 
the alert, and adjurations by the king's life 
were not wanting to deter advance to the 
Airara. "Bu negoos" "Bu Sdhela Selas- 
sie amlac" were talismanic words, ener- 
getically vociferated, and a heavy staff was 
thumped across the path in proof of its be- 
ing sternly closed to plebeian transit. But 
where is the Abyssinian who is proof 
against bribery and corruption? Beads 
will force a passage when the mandate of 
the throne is received with incredulity;, 
and the dollars of Maria Theresa, if pos- 
sessing the requisite marks, will insure 
participation even in a crown monopoly. 

An exceedingly steep path conducts to 
the summit of the Chaka ; but it is here 
paved throughout, with boulders, so sup- 
ported at intervals by transverse beams, as 
to form a succession of clumsy steps, cu 



HAMLET OF ASOPHEE— AN ENTERTAINMENT. 



209 



rious as constituting the only made road 
in the kingdom of Shoa. The heather 
ceases with the Gorabela mountain ; and 
from the summit of the now bare range, 
the route strikes off near the residence of 
a. petty governor, who bears the singular 
name of " Mout bai nore legne." 

" Oh, that there were no death for me !" 
is the interpretation thereof; but judging 
from the appearance of the lord of the ma- 
nor, who numbers some three-score years, 
he is not likely long to find his wish real- 
ized. Engaged in earnest conversation 
with the old man was Ayto Guebroo, who, 
in consequence of inability to check the 
repeated rebellions of the Loomi, by whom 
he so recently was wounded, had now been 
deprived of his government, and of his sil- 
ver sword, and was on his way to the pres- 
ence of the despot in deep disgrace. 

The Abyssinian verdure is singularly 
evanescent, a month without a shower be- 
ing sufficient to dry up the rich herbage, 
and to darken the hue of the foliage ; but 
the " rain of Bounty," which usually falls 
in February," giving a fresh impulse to 
vegetation, the hills and valleys again teem 
with abundance. November was fast 
drawing to a close, and the aspect of the 
country generally was brown and withered. 
Every choicer meadow was covered with 
the sleek beeves swept off from Finfinni, 
and its sloping sides were yellow with the 
royal crops now under the sickle, while in 
the numerous threshing-floors muzzled 
oxen were already treading out the grain. 

The route led across Molatit and the 
Toro Mesk, through dales and over hills 
abutting upon the face of the bluff frontier 
boundary of Shoa, in which are the sources 
of many of the more distant tributaries to 
the blue Nile. Never was there a tract 
more destitute of birds or wild animals ; a 
few plovers and larks, with some of the 
more common species of the order Roden- 
tia, being the only objects of natural his- 
tory discovered during a march of twelve 
miles, which led to the halting-ground in 
the centre of the little village of Asophee, 
opposite to the frowning mountain of Koo- 
romania. 

Under flimsy cotton awnings, the night 
proved intensely cold ; and at an early hour 
the ensuing morning, as the journey was 
resumed over a swelling country thickly 
dotted with Christian hamlets, the more 
sheltered pools by the road-side were cov- 
ered with a thin coating of ice, the first 
witnessed since arrival in Abyssinia. At 
the village of Amarague, hospitable enter- 
tainment had been prepared by Ayto Ega- 
200, which name, being interpreted, signi- 



fied, "May they buy." This notable 
warrior had, prior to the late foray, intro- 
duced himself, somewhat a-propos of his 
title, by an ingenious but abortive attempt 
to sell an unsound horse. Dismounting 
on the right side from the identical straw- 
colored steed, he now placed himself, with 
shoulders bared, in the middle of the road, 
and, by the life of the king, adjured the 
party to enter his abode, in order to par- 
take of a sheep that had been expressly 
slaughtered. 

Wulleta Selassie, his comely partner, 
daughter to Shishigo, the governor of 
Shoa-meda, had kindled in the dark hall 
the fiercest of fires ; and immediately on 
the termination of complimentary inqui- 
ries, the heavy door was barred to exclude 
the evil eye. Raw collops having been 
steadily rejected, bones, singed in a some- 
what cannibal-like fashion, were rapidly 
circulated by the attentive host. " Take 
the eye," he repeated, coaxingly, to each 
in turn, presenting at the same time, be- 
twixt his finger and thumb, the extracted 
orb of the deceased mutton ; " do — the eye 
is .the daintiest part. No ? Well, you must 
eat this marrow," — crushing the uncooked 
shank with a grinding- stone handed by a 
slave girl, and extending the splintered 
fragments to be sucked. Overflowing 
bumpers of sour beer having been filled 
in a gloomy corner at a huge earthen jar, 
each horn was tasted by the cup-bearer 
from the hollow of his palm, in demonstra- 
tion of the absence of poison. The sur- 
plus repast, fluid as well as solid, quickly 
disappeared under the united efforts of the 
retinue ; and a bead necklace having, 
meanwhile, been hung about the neck of 
the lady's hopeful son and heir, the tortured 
guests finally effected their escape from 
the oven-like apartment, with the aid of 
divers promises made to both master and 
mistress, and sundry pieces of silver dis- 
bursed to silence a host of importunate 
menials. 

Ayto Egazoo rode forth, in accordance 
with etiquette, " to see the party off.' y 
From the court-yard of his snug but dirty 
domicile, Tegulet, and the blue hills of 
Argobba and of the Wollo Galla, bounded 
the measureless prospect. Regaining the 
road, the Tekroos-Bado, Moosh, and Good- 
awurud rivers, all remote sources of the 
blue Nile, were crossed in succession. 
On the banks of the latter stands the mon- 
astery of St. George, famous as having 
been left unmolested when the district was 
in the hands of the Galla, many of whom 
are even said to have been converted to 
Christianity. Goodawurud was the title 



210 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



of a potent chieftain, who, with Merkurri, 
Amadich, and Logo, held the country after 
Graan's desolating visit, until expelled by 
Asfa Woosen ; and a considerable portion 
of the revenues are now applied to the 
maintenance of the monastery of Medak, 
whose superior, the Alaka Amda Zion, has 
charge of the heir presumptive. 

Nothing could exceed the beauty of the 
position selected by the cowled fraternity 
of St. George ; large bands of whom, 
lounging away their hours of idleness be- 
neath the dark funereal junipers in which 
the retreat is deeply embosomed, were for 
once aroused from listless apathy by the 
passing cavalcade of white strangers. The 
land swarms with friars, monks, and an- 
chorites, who are habited in yellow dresses, 
as the badge of poverty, or in the prepared 
skin of the antelope. Usually licentious 
in their manners, they roam through the 
country a perfect pest and plague to so- 
ciety. Men become monks at any period 
of life. Those who are afflicted with griev- 
ous sickness vow that in event of recovery 
they will abandon the world, and transfer 
all their movables to the church. The 
rich often deliver over their property to 
their children, who are bound to support 
them until death. The poor subsist upon 
the bounty of the king and of the com- 
munity ; and many never enter the cells of 
the monastery at all, but with their wives 
reside at ease in their own homes, having 
assumed the counterfeit piety of the order 
solely for the sake of defrauding their 
creditors — since, however deeply involved, 
the " putting on angel's clothing"* clears 
off all former scores with the ease and ra- 
pidity of the most indulgent court of insol- 
vency. 

The skin of the agazin is usually adopt- 
ed as the garb of humiliation ; and this 
emblem, together with the unwashed per- 
son, is intended to commemorate the le- 
gend of their great founder, Eustathius, 
who boasted of having performed no ablu- 
tion during a long term of existence, and 
who miraculously crossed the river Jor- 
dan, floating securely upon his greasy cloak. 
The prophet Samuel is also sometimes re- 
ferred to as affording another notable ex- 
ample of the advantage extended by the 
mantle of hide, in the asserted fact of his 
having sailed seven days across a great 
sea, borne in safety, with his disciples, 
upon the leathern robes which in those 
ancient days formed the only attire. 

Throughout Shoa, lakes are believed to 
form the great rendezvous of evil spirits ; 



*The Abyssinian phrase for turning monk. 



and in one called Nugareet-fer, at the foot 
of the hills, the drum of the water kelpy is 
frequently heard, to the no small terror of 
the superstitious auditors. Shortly after 
crossing the stony bed of the Daimadamash, 
a road branches off to Angollala and Debra 
Berhan, past the monastery of Maskalie 
Ghedam, a title signifying " My cross is a 
convent." Beyond the Dewasha, a second 
strikes northward to Gondar, past the seat 
of government of Zenama Work,, the 
queen-dowager, which occupies a beauti- 
fully rounded tumulus styled Zalla Dingai, 
"The rolling stone." 

" Bad people," saith the tradition attach- 
ed to this spot, " were one day seated upon 
a rock that formerly occupied the summit 
of the hill. They were telling lies, and 
busied in contriving tricks by which to 
circumvent their neighbors. Suddenly the 
mass gave way, and all who sat thereon, 
being precipitated into the deep torrent 
that rolls beneath to join the river Mofa, 
were crushed to atoms for their evil doings." 

After fording the Goor river, and as- 
cending a high ridge, the queen's white 
palace forms a striking object in the land- 
scape ; and beyond it is a square eminence, 
where, under the eye of the erudite Alaka 
Woldab, the reigning monarch passed his 
earlier years, until the assassination of his 
sire opened to him the accession. The 
extensive view obtained includes Geshe 
and Efrata, with the Great Saka moun- 
tains stretching toward the Nile. Advan- 
cing, the heather-grown range suddenly 
terminates in an abrupt descent, and full 
three thousand feet below, rugged Efat is 
seen, blending into the blue plains of the 
Adai'el, where towers the great beacon 
iVzulo, with the wide crater of Abida, hazy 
and hot, far beyond it in the east. Afrub- 
ba, and the high hills of the Ittoo Galla, 
rose in faint perspective, and a perfect 
chaos of rude disjointed mountains lay piled 
toward Ankober. seeming as though they 
had been gathered from many countries, 
and pitched together by giant handfuls, to 
fill up the deep intervening chasm. 

Hitherto the road had been rough and 
stony — the eminences steep and bare ; and 
after passing the sombre groves of St. 
George, the only redeeming feature was 
the church dedicated to " our Lady," re- 
posing quietly amid the rich foliage of the 
" cosso," and other large-leafed forest- 
trees. In all other parts the face of the 
country now resembled the sides of the 
great Indian Ghauts — masses of light- 
brown, chequered with pale yellow; but 
stubble or standing corn in every accessi- 
ble nook and corner usurped the place o£ 



TURMABER PASS— HOSPITABLE HOST. 



211 



wastes of grass, with which nature so 
prodigally clothes the mountain scenery of 
the East. Numerous parties, consisting 
of twenty or thirty peasants, carrying on 
their heads bales of coarse cotton cloth as 
tribute to the king, were passed at inter- 
vals — the sword by the side and the spear 
in the hand, indicating that the frontier 
along which they journeyed was in a far 
from settled state. 

This tract of high moorland, which forms 
the water-shed between the Nile and the 
Ha wash, is richly cultivated and abund- 
antly irrigated — a fresh stream, on its 
course to the former river, intersecting the 
western side of the range, and forming a 
deep valley every second or third mile. 
After leaving the Goor, however, the face 
of the country, becoming more sterile, is 
covered with heather, and for the last few 
miles to the top of the Turmaber pass, 
neither village nor cultivated field is to be 
seen. 

During the descent, which passes through 
a gap between precipitous trap rocks, and 
is steeper and even worse than that of the 
Chaka, the bleak and lofty peaks of Aram- 
ba, Gaifaiyetto, Woti, Mamrat, Kondie, and 
Wofasha, are severally revealed to view ; 
these forming a continuation of the great 
range of mountains threading the whole 
eastern frontier of Shoa, from Bulga to Wor- 
ra Kaloo, and extending thence through 
Ambasel, Yedjow, and Lasta, to Simien, 
the highest point of Abyssinia. From the 
foot of the range the road leads across the 
Teliinko, past Debra Sena, a small emi- 
nence completely covered as with an in- 
verted bowl, by a dense, cabbage-shaped 
clump of junipers, concealing St. George's 
church — a most celebrated shrine for the 
performance of vows and orisons, which is 
visited from great distances. Hence the 
route winds to the bottom of a deep wooded 
dell, rich in botanical specimens, where 
the clear stream of the Teliinko is again 
crossed, to the face of a steep acclivity 
leading to Dokaket, the ancient capital of 
Emmaha Yasoos, third monarch of Shoa. 

The sun was dipping below the opposite 
range as a halt was proclaimed by the king's 
guide at the house of Ayto Abaiyo Gurwa, 
the governor of the district, whose hospi- 
tality proved unbounded. For a full hour 
he continued shouting and scolding, order- 
ing and countermanding ; and while he 
expressed the greatest mortification at the 
non- appropriation of two fat oxen, in addi- 
tion to liberal supplies of sheep, bread, 
mead, and beer, he was with difficulty pre- 
vailed upon to accept a present prepared 
in acknowledgment ; a piece of self-denial 



rarely experienced at the hands of a native 
of Southern Abyssinia. 

" But," he added, " henceforth you may 
know me as your friend ; therefore send to 
me frequently, and I will tell you when I 
have any concern. Wolda Mariam, my 
henchman, who is here, is in my confidence. 
Furthermore, he will visit you on my part. 
Appoint now a baldoroba, who may intro- 
duce him, that access be not impeded." 
The party nominated as the medium of 
communication stepped to the front, and 
the twain, baring their shoulders, and bow- 
ing the one to the other, fell back into their 
respective places. 

Ankober is the capital of the eastern di- 
vision of the kingdom of Shoa, in which are 
comprised the provinces of Basso, Dabdabo, 
Karaba, Kawt, Mans, Giddem, Ab&mesa, 
Mahhfood, and Dokaket. The last-named 
especially forms the scene of constant in- 
roads from the savage Adaiel, whose coun- 
try lies little more than a cannon shot 
below ; the Amhara, who on the Farri 
boundary are severely punished by the po- 
litic monarch for destroying one of them, 
even in retribution, flocking hither to en- 
title themselves to wear the decoration of 
the " akodama," the non plus ultra of their 
ambition. And such is the bitter hatred 
subsisting between the two nations so 
closely bordering upon each other, that but 
for the lofty hills and cold climate of An- 
kober, the Moslems, who are the far bra- 
ver race, would doubtless have paid its 
Christian population a hostile visit long ere 
now. On the adjacent northern frontier, 
the intricate labyrinth of broken ravines, 
over which the eye had ranged in the morn- 
ing, forms the strongest natural barrier 
against the Wollo Galla, whose incursions 
are nevertheless frequent ; while the Tu- 
lema, residing in the Saka range, entertain 
as decided a disinclination to descend from 
their own bleak hills, as do the Amhara to 
visit the hot valleys and forests of the 
Adaiel, which stretch beyond the borders 
of Efat. 



CHAPTER LXXXII. 

THE SHREW OF MAHHFOOD. 

Bidding adieu to the hospitable host, the 
journey was continued along the eastern 
side of the Turmaber range, through a 
country considerably altered in appearance, 
and improved in point of beauty. There 
was a warmth of appearance about the nu- 
merous hamlets quite in unison with the 
increased temperature of this lower tract. 



212 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Gayer flowers bloomed by the way-side ; 
more brilliant birds fluttered among- the re- 
cesses of .the thick corinda hedges, through 
which peeped the eglantine, the honey, 
suckle, and the blackberry ; and the entire 
prospect, although exceedingly broken, and 
traversed throughout by ravines and gul- 
lies, was covered with the most luxuriant 
grass in every spot where the hand of the 
Icultivator had not been busy. The slope 
of each hill and abrupt eminence was wood- 
ed with junipers and other fantastic ever- 
greens. The cultivation was rich and 
flourishing ; fields of yellow safflower glow- 
ed in golden tints ; and teff. growing in the 
depths of the valleys, resembled greatly the 
waving rice-fields of Asia. 

Dame Twotit, one of the king's choris- 
ters, who accompanied the army to Garra 
Gorphoo, and was now making a profes- 
sional tour of the provinces, joined the par- 
ty en route, carrying a small wicker para- 
sol ; and as she ambled along upon her 
mule, with the butter pouring in streams 
over her shoulders through the influence 
of the solar rays, the good lady was pleased 
to chant extemporaneous couplets in honor 
of the war about to be waged against the 
beasts of the forest. " The Gyptzis will 
slay the elephant, whereof all the warriors 
of Amhara are afraid " — while it formed 
the burden of the song, conveyed an opin- 
ion diametrically opposed to that entertain- 
ed by the public ; and the followers, inspired 
by the words of a woman, took up the sen- 
timent, and made the valleys reecho to 
their martial chorus, which attracted to the 
road-side the inhabitants of every hamlet 
in the vicinity. 

Mahhfood. a village hemmed in by high 
kolqual hedges, formed the termination of 
the march. Its natural fortifications having 
uniformly proved insurmountable, this dis- 
trict has never been conquered either by 
the Galla or Mohammadans. The resi- 
dence of the governor, who has been hon- 
ored with the hand of Woizoro Birkenich, 
daughter of Queen Besabesh, by her for- 
mer marriage, stands on the apex of the 
loftiest of the many isolated hills ; and in 
accordance with the precaution invariably 
taken to prevent surprise on these disturb- 
ed frontiers, it is surrounded by a formida- 
ble fence. The camp was formed at the 
foot ; and the thermometer having stood in 
the morning at 32° on the summit of Do- 
kaket, the difference in temperature was 
considerably felt during the afternoon, 
when the mercury mounted to 90° under 
the flimsy palls which formed the only 
screen. 

Standing specially recommended to Ayto 



Gadeloo, whose acquaintance had been 
formed during the late foray, a visit of ce- 
remony was paid in the cool of the even- 
ing, when the party were received and 
entertained according to the perfection of 
Abyssinian etiquette. The whole of the 
dirty domestics and household slaves were 
mustered on the occasion, to witness the 
presentation of gifts brought for the " Em- 
abiet," who, like the rest of the princesses 
royal, displayed unequivocal signs of being 
sole and undisputed mistress of the estab- 
lishment. Fat, fair, and forty, she was 
seated in a gloomy recess upon an "alga," 
and partially screened from view by the 
intervention of a lusty handmaiden. The 
good man, who occupied a corner of the 
throne, presented in his owlish features the 
very personification of a well-trained, hen- 
pecked husband, for years accustomed to 
the iron rule of the shrew — and so com- 
plete was her ladyship's monopoly, that he 
could be said to boast of little beyond the 
empty title of governor of Mahhfood. 

The lady put a few preliminary ques- 
tions touching the number of wives pos- 
sessed by each of the party, and appeared 
highly to approve of the matrimonial code 
that limited the number to one. But 
throughout the dingy mansion there was 
a miserable assumption of regal dignity, 
which considerably retarded conversation, 
by imparting to the whole Geremony an air 
of unbending stiffness. The host, who was 
either unable or unwilling to answer any 
interrogatories respecting his own country, 
edified himself when he did speak, by sub- 
jecting his fancied Egyptian guests to a 
lucid catechism ; and like the Arab Be- 
douin who formed his estimate of the pov- 
erty of Europe by the fact of its producing 
neither dates nor camels, Ayto Gadeloo 
conceived a passing indifferent idea of 
Great Britain from the discovery that it 
boasted no mules. 

" Have you mashela and daboo and tul- 
lah* in your country ?" he inquired, while 
his fair partner feasted her eyes upon the 
" pleasing things " presented, in none of 
which it was evident the lord of the crea- 
tion was destined to participate — " Oh, you 
have all these; well, and have you oxen 
and sheep, and horses and mules V " How, 
no mules V he shouted in derision, while 
the slaves tittered and hid their black fa- 
ces, and their mistress laughed outright — 
"Why, what a miserable country yours 
must be !" 

Shortly after daybreak the road was re- 
sumed through very thriving crops, and by 

*Anglice, " maize, bread, and beer." 



THE "GOWEZZA"— VILLAGE OF MEDINA. 



213 



a steep descent, to the valley of the Robi, 
where the eye was greeted by a perfect 
scene of Eastern cultivation— juwarree, 
fifteen feet high, teff, chilies, onions, oil, 
and cotton, in many parts artificially irri- 
gated, flourishing with the utmost luxuri- 
ance on a rich black soil, under a climate 
resembling that of the more favored spots 
in Western India. The scenery of this 
richly- wooded and well-watered valley was 
not a little enhanced by the beauty of the 
surrounding mountains, of which the nu- 
merous peaks were tufted with trees, and 
crowned by populous hamlets, while the 
redundance of vegetation, and the growth 
and quality of the cotton, with a soil adapt- 
ed for the production of sugar, coffee, and 
rice, proclaimed the locality to possess the 
very highest natural advantages as an emi- 
grating settlement. 

In the broad shallow channel of the 
Robi, upward of two hundred yards across, 
which pours into the Hawash between a 
belt of verdant acacias two sparkling 
streams of the clearest water, are found 
an inexhaustible supply of round pebbles 
of every size, which being assorted, are 
used by the Amhara fusileers in lieu of 
the usual iron bullets, and are even em- 
ployed as slugs and shot. They probably 
owe their spherical form to the constant 
action of the fluid, and form a large item 
in the tribute paid by this district, wherein 
alone they are obtained. Crossing the 
river, the road entered a thick jungle, 
through which the party proceeded in bat- 
tle array, as a measure of precaution 
against the " Gowezza," a banditti which 
have long infested this frontier district. 
The nucleus, composed of Christian out- 
casts who have absconded from fear of 
their creditors, or of church censure, was 
swelled during the great famine in the 
year of St. Luke, by from five to six hun- 
dred Christian, Mohammadan, and Galla 
vagabonds, who, forming themselves into 
a lawless band, and renouncing all forms 
of religion, took up their permanent abode 
in the greenwood, where, favored by the 
nature of the ground, they plundered and 
kidnapped with impunity. 

To the notes of an Abyssinian war 
chorus, which still proclaimed the hostile 
designs conceived against the lordly ele- 
phant, the plain was crossed without any 
demonstrations on the part of the Robin 
Hoods ; and leaving the high peaks of 
Chureecha and Sangota on the right with 
Mungut and Sallaish on the left, the road 
ascended the Gozi mountain by a narrow 
pass, leading under a peak whereon stands 
a house belonging to Wulasma Moham- 



mad. Abomesa, forming the termination 
of the range toward the Adai'el frontier, 
limits his power in this direction, his rights 
as abogaz extending westward to Bulga. 
The district of Gozi is entirely peopled by 
Mohammadans styled Arablet, whose pro- 
genitors are said by tradition to have been 
left there prior to the reign of Nagasi, 
first king of Shoa. Hoossain, Wahabit, 
and Abdool Kurreem, generals probably 
detached from the victorious army of Graan, 
are represented to have come from Mecca, 
and to have assumed possession of the 
country at the point of the sword — the le- 
gend assigning to the first of these war- 
riors as his capital the populous village of 
Medina, which is conspicuous on a cone 
among the mountains shortly after enter- 
ing the valley of the Robi. 

Descending the Gozi range, a ridiculous 
scene was enacted by a mule laden with 
numerous brace of guinea-fowl, which had 
inspired the beast with such ungovernable 
terror, that he rushed down the declivity 
at speed, kicking and plunging furiously, 
and was not recovered until the novel load 
. had been dashed into a million fragments. 
From the foot of the pass the road led 
across an extensive flat styled " the wil- 
derness of Giddem," which forms the neu- 
tral ground betwixt the Amhara and the 
Ada'iel. But less than four years have 
elapsed since the great chief of the Gibdosa, 
at the head of his whole clan, made a sud- 
den inroad, and swept off all the cattle in 
the district. The Christians pursuing the 
invaders, slew great numbers in an engage- 
ment fought near Rasa, and recovered a 
portion of the spoil ; but on their march 
back, they were in turn overtaken by An- 
bassa Ali, who destroyed upward of one 
thousand. 

The valley of Giddem is watered by 
four fine rivers, which were crossed in 
succession — the Sower, " mystery," the 
Ashmak, " man who deals in sorcery," the 
Gasha Bakindee, " shield on my arm," and 
the Jow-waha, " stupid water" — the whole 
of which, uniting after their escape from 
the mountains, join the Hawash not far 
from Mount Azulo. The Gasha Bakin- 
dee, whereof the banks are precipitous 
and thickly wooded, is represented to have 
formed the scene of numberless murders 
on the part of the Wollo Galla, who are 
here in the constant habit of way-laying 
travellers through the wilderness. To 
the eastward of the valley, therefore, the 
hand of the cultivator has been stayed, and 
the forest, standing in large gloomy green 
patches, choked with reeds and wild canes, 
is tenanted by troops of guinea-fowl, by 



214 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



the boar, the lion, and the elephant ; but to 
the westward, on either side of the road, 
the cultivation is magnificent — the soil, 
the climate, and the abundant supply of 
water, with the shelter afforded by the sur- 
rounding hills, proving especially favor- 
able to the labors of the agriculturists. 
Traces of the huge tenants of the adja- 
cent shades so worthy of their bulk, were 
however visible among the crops, and the 
dread entertained of their visits was well 
evinced, by numerous elevated platforms 
constructed upon the highest trees that 
bordered the rich plantations of cotton and 
red pepper. 

On the sedge-grown banks of the Sow- 
er, beneath the spreading branches of a 
venerable tamarind, sat Ayto Abaiyo, with 
a numerous retinue, reposing, during the 
noontide heat, on his way to assume the 
district of Mungust, to the south-south- 
west, the late governor having been sum- 
marily removed on charges of oppression. 
In the principal town, Mosabiet, is held 
one of the chief markets in the kingdom, 
the high road to Manchettee, the Wollo, 
and the Yedjow Galla passing through it. 
The numerous mounted retinue of the 
haughty functionary had conjured up mis- 
givings in the mind of the guide, who, 
since leaving Mahhfood, had never ceased 
allusions to the ' : Gowezza ;" nor was it 
without much persuasion and remonstrance 
that he was finally induced to cross the 
river with the well-armed party, and to 
hail from a respectful distance the suspi- 
cious band of his own countrymen. 

Leaving the valley of Giddem, seven 
miles in extreme length, the route led over 
a very broken and stony rise, into a third 
vale, also richly cultivated, whence com- 
menced the ascent of the Kokfari range. 
Halting for the night at the village of 
Zumbo, pleasantly situated on a pretty 
green terrace, on the mountain-side, be- 
tween Manya and Dai Mariam, the king's 
messenger was dispatched in advance to 
apprise Ayto Tsanna, the governor, of the 
arrival of the strangers within his jurisdic- 
tion. Supplies poured in from all direc- 
tions ; but although now far beyond the 
reach of the much-dreaded freebooters, it 
was not destined that the hours should be 
passed in peace. Attracted by the smell 
of honey, a legion of huge black ants burst 
into the tent ; and invading every bed, 
caused one slumberer after the other to 
start in madness to his feet. In vain a light 
was obtained, and thousands upon thou- 
sands massacred — a fresh army streamed 
upon the track of the annihilated troops ;,' 
and so unremitting were their persecutions, 



that it was ultimately found necessary to 
strike the camp, and remove to a remote 
stubble field, where, although fairly beaten 
from the field, pursuit on the part of the 
assailants was fortunately baffled, and their 
proximity speedily forgotten. 



CHAPTER LXXXIII. 

HOSPITALITY AT KOKFARI- 

" May the guests of the negoos come 
quickly ! — all is prepared for their recep- 
tion," was the message received early the 
ensuing morning from the old governor, to 
whom the party stood specially consigned 
by the king ; and who was, moreover, an 
acquaintance made in the late expedition, 
where he had appeared in capacity ol 
' ; wobo," or general commanding the rear- 
guard. A winding ascent up the almost 
perpendicular mountain side, and a gradual 
rise round the shoulder of the range, in 
two hours revealed his residence, occupy- 
ing the summit of a sleep hill, and well- 
fortified with palisades and wicker-work. 
A deep grove of tall trees on the opposite 
eminence concealed the monastery of Ka- 
saiyat, famous as the depository of the 
chronicles of Saint Eustathius, and be- 
yond, a wild tract of forest land, inter- 
sected by serpentine rivers, stretched away 
to the blue hills of Efrata and Worra 
Kaloo. 

Approaching the residence of Ayto 
Tsanna, a salute was fired in his honor by 
the escort ; and being forthwith ushered 
into his presence, the kind-hearted and 
hospitable veteran was found seated in the 
inner porch of his spacious house, where 
skins had been spread for the accommoda- 
tion of the visitors. Nothing could sur- 
pass the munificence of the reception — 
bread, honey, butter, hydromel, beer, poul- 
try, and eggs, being lavished in princely 
abundance, while oxen and sheep without 
number were slaughtered for the use of the 
followers ; and corn and grass supplied to 
the numerous train of horses and mules. 
A spacious domicile was provided, in 
which, after a fire had been lighted to dis- 
lodge evil spirits, the repast was spread ; 
and during the greater portion of the after- 
noon, the liberal and intelligent host con- 
tinued to witness the drill of the escort, 
performed at his special request ; and to 
converse with evident satisfaction on the 
manufactures of Europe, specimens of 
some of which had been most unwillingly 
accepted. 



ELEPHANT LEGEND— BIRD OF ILL OMEN. 



215 



Messengers were in the meantime dis- 
patched to five subordinate governors, with 
orders to assemble their quotas on the mor- 
row for the purpose of hunting. The 
looltoola resounded through the neighbor- 
ing districts to summon young and old ; 
and in imitation of the royal proclamations, 
the mandate went forth by the herald, 
" that all who should fail to repair to the 
wilderness on the day appointed, would be 
held to have forfeited their property during 
seven years." The son of the host, a 
tall, handsome youth, wearing gay neck- 
laces of beads and a streaming white feath- 
er, in token of achievements performed 
during the recent foray, had been specially 
charged with the entertainment of the fol- 
lowers ; and the strength of the potent old 
hydrome), no less than the liberality with 
which it had been dispensed, were but too 
evident upon the majority ere the night 
fell. Loquacity increased with each addi- 
tional gumbo that was drained ; and loud 
and boisterous were the praises from every 
mouth of the good cheer of the chieftain's 
hall. 

Among the visitors who flocked to be- 
hold the white strangers, was a cowled 
monk from the adjacent monastery, who 
proved deeply versed in traditionary lore. 
It was diverting to listen to the arguments 
adduced by the holy father against the pro- 
jected hostilities, and one anecdote con- 
siderably staggered the faith reposed by 
the governor in their success. " In an- 
cient days," quoth the recluse, " one of the 
most powerful monarchs of Ethiopia, whose 
name I have forgotten, made war against 
the elephants with his whole army. Tiie 
king of the elephants being sore pressed, 
took unto himself a mouse to wife, and 
herein he displayed his wisdom and saga- 
city. The mice espoused the quarrel of 
their noble kin — entered the imperial store- 
houses in a countless body — devoured all 
the shields, harness, accoutrements, and 
leather, in a single night, and thus utterly 
defeated the project of the king of kings." 

The Amhara possess a most indifferent 
idea of woodcraft, and never venture to 
attack a wild beast unless on horseback, in 
bodies consisting of several hundred war- 
riors armed with every available weapon, 
when, according to the approved system of 
Abyssinian bullying, the animal is some- 
times worried to death. But these quests 
are frequently undertaken without success, 
and they seldom terminate without many 
fetal accidents. The brave who hurls the 
first successful spear is entitled to the hon- 
orary reward from the king, and to a tri- 
umph in the capital, which is attended with 



ceremonies and rejoicings similar to those 
that celebrate the return of the murderous 
foray against the heathen Galla. Owing 
to the excess of cultivation on the high- 
lands, Shoa generally presents a peculiar 
deficiency of objects worthy of the chase. 
Baboons and monkeys, it has been seen, 
are royal game. Badgers are believed to 
be the " Devil's flock," and therefore stu- 
diously shunned ; and hyenas, although oc- 
casionally destroyed, are in many parts of 
the country suffered to multiply to an alarm- 
ing extent, from the existing superstition 
that Jewish sorcerers descend from the 
mountains during the night, and transform 
themselves into the likeness of these ani- 
mals, whence there could be no good result 
in their destruction. 

Neither journey nor hunting expedition 
is ever undertaken without the receipt from 
on high of the desired omens of approba- 
tion ; and should these be wanting, the 
Amhara will retrace his steps on any pre- 
text, and patiently await the welcome sign. 
The sight of the unclean hare is sufficient 
to shake the stoutest nerves. An antelope 
bounding across the path augurs favorably 
to success in any undertaking. A fox bark- 
ing on the left hand destroys all hope of a 
happy result, but on the right hand a pros- 
perous issue may with confidence be anti- 
cipated. The appearance of a white buz- 
zard prognosticates good or evil according 
to the position of the tail, and chief of all 
the numerous birds of ill omen is the 
" Goorameila."* Death or the most dire 
disaster, is certain to follow his portentous 
croak ; and there is no inhabitant through- 
out the realm who has not some tale to re- 
cord in confirmation of the fatal character 
of this ominous shriek. That fool-hardy 
wight who giveth no heed to the warning 
note of coming misfortune, has never yet 
been known to escape. He is either balked 
in the object of his journey, pillaged, mal- 
treated, or murdered ! 

The omens must in this instance have 
proved favorable. Under the personal guid- 
ance of the host, whose hospitality increas- 
ed rather than abated, the party repaired, 
on the afternoon of the second day's fes- 
tivities, to Manya — a village occupying the 
high promontory of table-land immediate- 
ly opposite to the former encampment at 
Zumbo. It overlooked the wide extent of 
wilderness which was to form the scene 
of operations on the morrow, but among 
which it was deemed unsafe to sojourn, as 
well on account of the wild beasts, as of 
the constant hostile inroads of the Galla 



* Lanhis humeralis. Lath. 



■ 



216 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



and Adaiel. The route wound by a grad- 
ual descent over the Kokfari mountain, so 
named from the numerous red-legged par- 
tridges, the size of a guinea-fowl, with 
which the coverts swarm — thick copses of 
brushwood and heather, interlaced with 
dog-roses, eglantine, and bramble, afford- 
ing the most alluring shelter in the vicinity 
of abundant grain and water. 

Beneath the moss-grown branches of a 
silvery " woira," which leaned its venera- 
ble form over the hill-side fronting the 
church dedicated to Emanuel, stood a min- 
iature imitation of the sacred edifice, erect- 
ed according to wont upon a pile of stones. 
Bread, grain, rags, and feathers, were in- 
dustriously neaped upon this idol by every 
passer by, and the kiss imprinted with fer- 
vent devotion upon the rough stem of the 
tree around which the old governor, dis- 
mounting from his mule, fastened a strip of 
cloth as a votive offering. On reaching 
the destination, which by certain of the fol- 
lowers who had sacrificed too liberally to 
the jolly god was accomplished with no 
ordinary difficulty, several muskets and 
matchlocks were discharged from the verge 
of the cliff to give notice of the arrival of 
the party to the Gille and Soopa, tributary 
clans, occupying the low country, who, in 
obedience to the summons of the preceding 
day, were already assembled on the con- 
fines of the hunting ground. 

From the Rasa hills, the residence of 
the formidable Anbassa Ali, whose do- 
mains bound the wilderness of Giddem, 
Mount Azulo did not appear to be more 
than one day's journey ; and the Hawash, 
which is said to flow round its base, could 
be distinctly traced in its intervening course 
through the hot Adel plains, by the dark 
line of trees that fringe the banks. The 
mountain, although far beyond the domin- 
ions of Shoa, is renowned as the most 
sacred seat of monkery. Continually 
emitting volumes of dark smoke, its only 
inhabitants are Christian friars, who, de- 
spising the world and its vanities, retire 
thither unmolested by Galla, or Moham- 
madan, to spend their days in blissful peace 
and seclusion. Universally looked upon 
and feared as sorcerers, they are believed 
to live on the most social terms with the 
lions and wild goats which share the re- 
treat, and the tale assigns to the holy fath- 
ers an exclusive subsistence upon fruits, 
and herbs, and roots, which together with 
a pair of wings, are freely furnished them 
from Heaven ; but it is singular that none 
who have yet returned from the pilgrimage 
should have brought back their feathered 
appendages— and that the lank figure and 



the sunken eye should have betokened 
rather the toil of the weary wayfarer than 
the high enjoyment of Elysian feasts. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

THE WILDEKNESS OF GIDDEM. 

Before daylight of the following morn- 
ing, Ay to Tsanna gave the word to sad- 
dle, and the tedious descent of the south- 
eastern face of the steep Manya hill hav- 
ing been accomplished on foot, the bor- 
der of the wilderness was gained as the 
sun rose, and post taken on a small emi- 
nence to await the report of the scouts 
who were out in every direction among the 
tangled grass. The valley, environed by 
mountains, and extending eight or ten 
miles in one uninterrupted fiat, lay spread 
at the foot, intersected throughout its ex- 
treme breadth by the four streams already 
named, whose banks, clothed with dense 
jungle, and topped by gigantic reeds and 
lofty forest trees, harbored antelopes and 
a great variety of birds of the most brilliant 
plumage. These individual wildernesses, 
in many points uniting, formed a continu- 
ous belt of dark foliage, and in others re- 
ceding as the miry swamps became nig- 
gard of the requisite moisture, afforded 
limited vistas to the eye, although still ac- 
cessible with difficulty either to man or 
horse. 

A speedy summons arrived from the gov- 
ernor, who, with a large party of retainers, 
and two matchlockmen forming his body- 
guard, w T as seated on the banks of Jow- 
waha. An elephant had been descried at 
the distance of some miles, and an uproar 
had in consequence commenced, sufficient 
to alarm the most fearless and sedate quar- 
ry in existence. After a protracted and tu- 
multuous consultation, the hunt was com- 
menced according to the Abyssinian me- 
thod — equestrians and pedestrians without 
number, shouting and hallooing to each 
other, as they threaded the paths trampled 
by the huge quadrupeds through a tangled 
swamp of canes, so locked and interlaced 
that no human eye could penetrate one 
foot on either side, while crowds of Galla 
horsemen galloped on either flank to com- 
plete the impossibility of success. 

This turmoil continued under a burning 
sun until past two o'clock, when, having 
reached the extremity of the waste which 
divides the country of the Gibdosa Ada'iel, 
the appearance of several horsemen hov- 
ering in the distance induced the governor 



CHEVY CHASE— « YELLOW HORSE.' 



217 



to decamp with precipitation to the centre 
of the wilderness, without having seen 
aught save a few recent tracks imprinted 
on the burnt grass, and a charred log of 
wood, which was long maintained to be an 
elephant. Here the tributary Gille and 
Soopa, who had been called out under 
Jieir respective chiefs, Abbo and Boroo,* 
;ame pouring in from all directions— a wild 
and savage race, whom the Christians de- 
clared to be the most insubordinate wretch- 
es in the whole world, who would take a 
life for the possession of the veriest trifle. 
More than trebling the numerical strength 
of the Amhara, their appearance so alarm- 
ed the veteran " Wobo," that he forthwith 
placed himself under the protection of his 
guests ; and apprehending a termination 
to the day similar to the issue of Chevy 
Chase, requested that rifles might be dis- 
charged for the purpose of intimidation, 
while he ordered his immediate attendants 
to raise the shrill war-cry to collect his 
scattered retainers. The Moslems mean- 
while contented themselves with gazing at 
the unwonted appearance of the white 
strangers, and clumps of Christian spears 
soon restored the chief to his self-posses- 
sion, and relieved the forebodings of his 
dismayed followers, whose extraordinary 
politeness to the auxiliaries was beyond 
all things diverting ; the most tender inqui- 
ries relative to health and well-being only 
eliciting a scowling glance, accompanied 
by a surly dogged reply. 

It being in the interim reported that a 
man had been destroyed by a female ele- 
phant, at whose calf he had ventured to 
hurl his spear, Ayto Tsanna took the op- 
portunity of freeing himself of his unplea- 
sant Galla vassals, by directing them to 
hem the skirts of the forest, while he re- 
quested his foreign allies " to enter the 
thicket, and destroy the enraged beast, 
whom no one else would approach." Al- 
though well convinced of the impossibility 
of accomplishing this absurd request, a de- 
sire to efface former evil imputations in- 
duced a ready compliance, and a body of 
Amhara spearmen were selected to point 
out to the party the scene of the alleged 
accident. Crouching in a compact group 
at intervals of every few hundred yards as 
they advanced, they lowered their shields, 
bristled their spears, and in " the language 
of the chase," offered a prayer for divine 
assistance, coupled with abuse and defi- 
ance to the much-dreaded object of their 
quest. 

The story of the catastrophe proved on 



* Boroo signifies " my yellow horse." 

15 



investigation to be utterly false, the man 
having been merely lacerated by a splinter 
in a fall from a tree, instead of killed out- 
right by an elephant, as averred by his 
comrades. A search of two miles through 
the shady recesses of a magnificent forest, 
where some of the venerable trees meas- 
ured upward of forty feet in circumference, 
and where the lemon grew wild in the ut- 
most luxuriance and profusion, led again 
to the open plain, without aught being seen 
but a few of that rare species of ape styled 
the " monk of the wood." Here a message 
from the governor was delivered to the ef- 
fect that the elephants were surrounded at 
the farther extremity of the waste, and un- 
less immediately attacked would effect their 
escape. Rejoining him, however, with all 
expedition, it was ascertained that want of 
method had again frustrated every design, 
and that the clamor of the unruly multi- 
tude had rendered futile this last chance 
of retrieving the fortunes of the day. 

Evening was now fast closing around, 
and many miles were to be retraced to the 
camp, across bogs and quagmires, rendered 
almost impassable by the tramp of six hun- 
dred horsemen. But before finally leaving 
the ground, the Galla chieftains and their 
wild host were assembled ; and the gover- 
nor, taking his seat in the midst, in a set 
speech informed them that their lord the 
king had sent them " a strong stranger " 
as a guest. That their country of Giddem 
had been chosen in preference to Bulga, 
Mentshar, or the banks of the Robi, and 
that elephants must be found on the mor- 
row, or shame would be the portion of all 
in the eyes of their royal master. Bowing 
their heads, in token of implicit obedience 
to the high behest, the chiefs pledged them- 
selves to spare no exertions, and to appear 
early the following day with double the 
number of their respective tribes ; which 
assurance given, the opportunity was em- 
braced of urging an old dispute relative to 
the loss of certain Galla steeds, stated by 
Boroo, surnamed Amba Bukazia, to have 
been stolen by the Amhara borderers. 

" Yellow Horse " rose to speak in favor 
of his countrymen. His portly figure be- 
tokened high command and perfect self- 
possession. The lines of his dark face had 
settled down into features expressive of 
the mos~ f imperturbable coolness, and his 
whole appearance was that of the haughty 
savage chieftain. Standing erect before 
his feudal superior, his attitude and de- 
meanor were strikingly bold and dignified. 
His mantle, surmounted by a shaggy black 
skin, fell gracefully over his brawny shoul- 
ders; and his words flowed on, pleasing 



218 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



and mellifluous, in a smooth stream of na- 
tive eloquence, which the soft language of 
the Galla admitted of his modulating into 
a masterly succession of measured rhymes. 
The interpreter sat opposite, with eyes riv- 
etted on the orator, and sentence after sen- 
tence was rendered into Amharac with an 
ease and plastic volubility which appeared 
lathertheeffect of apieceof highly-wrought 
machinery, conveying to the governor 
through every marked intonation a close 
verbal interpretation, without disturbing 
for a moment the graceful flow of the im- 
passioned harangue. But Ay to Tsanna 
having already decided the question, and 
mentally resolved not to listen to the ap- 
peal, gladly availed himself of the uprising 
of his British guests, to mount his own 
horse, and thus abruptly to terminate the 
unpleasant discussion. 



CHAPTER LXXXV. 

DOWNFALL OF THE ELEPHANT. 

Ere the sun had risen the ensuing morn- 
ing, the party were again in the wilderness, 
where nearly double the number of Galla 
had been assembled by the chiefs Boroo 
and Abbo, to whom, before commencing the 
labors of the day, suitable gifts were pre- 
sented. The swamps on the southern side 
of the waste having been drawn unsuc- 
cessfully, columns of dust which arose from 
the opposite quarter high above the trees, 
were pronounced to indicate the tramp of 
a troop of elephants ; and thither the hun- 
ters hurried. But the performance of the 
beaters was even inferior to that of the 
preceding day. Half the number, panic- 
stricken, and visibly shaking with fear, as- 
cended the tallest trees, while those who 
again induced the party to precede them 
through the ocean of tangled flags, where 
to kill or even to see a wild beast was per- 
fectly out of the question, used their ut- 
most endeavors, by talking and shouting, 
to enhance the impossibility. 

Resolved to prove that the Gyptzis would 
not place others in a position which they 
scrupled themselves to occtvpy, the hunt 
was continued for some hours with those 
of the Amhara who possessed sufficient 
courage to enter the haunts. The svm was 
oppressively hot, and side-arms, which were 
insisted upon as a measure of precaution 
against the treachery of the allies who had 
teen summoned to assist, proved peculiarly 
cumbersome and distressing ; but swamp 
after swamp was beaten unsuccessfully, 



and forest after forest traversed, without 
one glimpse being obtained of the quarry 
desired. 

At length, about two in the afternoon, 
came a summons to the presence of the 
governor, who, being much fatigued, was 
seated below a spreading tree, and about 
to propose a return to the tents. In a long 
studied speech he set forth " that his fol- 
lowers had done their utmost also for that 
day, and had driven the elephants, which 
were countless as the forest leaves, from 
place to place, as though they had been 

village kine, but that the Europeans " 

Here his harangue was cut short by the 
appearance of a Galla scout, who galloped 
furiously up, exclaiming, "They drink, 
they drink, in the Jow-icaha l n The coun- 
cil instantly dissolved. Inspired by a new 
ray of hope, the hunters leaped again into 
the saddle, and, carrying their rifles across 
their shoulders, made at full speed for the 
river. 

A gallop of three miles through a dense 
covert, consisting of strong elastic wands, 
interlaced with prickly weeds and coarse 
spear grass, left the crowd far in the rear ; 
and, arriving at the spot where the ani- 
mals had been viewed, "Yellow Horse," 
with half a score of his wild riders, was 
alone present. The deep holes left by the 
feet of the monstrous animals in the wet 
sand at the water's edge, were still bub- 
bling from below ; and from the summit of 
a tree,- the broad backs of a herd being 
presently identified at some distance, by 
the measured flapping of their huge ears, 
it was resolved that the native allies should 
tarry where they were, while two of the 
party proceeded quietly to the attack on 
foot, before the governor, with his noisy 
retinue, should arrive from the rear. 

After much opposition on the part of old 
Boroo, who vowed that the despot would 
hold him responsible for the accident which 
the rash measure was certain to entail, 
the arrangement was finally carried. A 
stealthy advance up the wind, under cover 
of the copse-wood, soon revealed a small 
open area which had been trampled com- 
pletely bare, and in its centre, beneath the 
scanty shade of a venerable camel thorn, 
which had been well polished by continual 
rubbing, stood a gigantic bull, surrounded 
by four of his seraglio. 

British credit was now completely at 
stake. Creeping, therefore, to the extreme 
verge of the covert, in order to render cer- 
tainty more sure, a two-ounce ball, planted 
in the only small fatal spot presented by 
the huge target, laid low the mighty pa- 
triarch of the herd, whose fall made the 



"THE TUSKER "—TRIUMPHAL HONORS. 



219 



earth to tremble. One of the survivors, 
rushing toward the ambush, received a 
volley of hard bullets in her broad fore- 
head, which turned the attack, and brought 
her also to the ground, after a flight with 
her companions of fifty yards. She, how- 
ever, rose after some minutes, and escaped 
into the thick forest to die, attention being 
meanwhile entirely engrossed by the tus- 
ker, the nobler quarry, who, although pros- 
trate on his side like a fallen tower, mani- 

f ed in his dying- moments, by sundry 
portentous noises and uncouth struggles, 
an inclination to resume an erect position. 
His destruction was speedily completed; 
but it was still impossible to leave the spot, 
from a conviction that the braggart Am- 
hara rabble would not fail to claim the 
honor and the credit of having slain the 
prize with their powerless spears, should 
any perchance find the carcass during the 
absence of the lawful proprietors — a sur- 
mise which was fully confirmed by the ap- 
propriation of the tail as a trophy, by the 
very first man who made his appearance. 

The death of this lordly monster, to 
which so little importance would have been 
attached in those parts of the African con- 
tinent where the event is one of diurnal 
occurrence, created in the mind of every 
beholder a sensation of astonishment and 
admiration hardly to be described. The 
fame of the exploit, carried by express 
couriers, spread from corner to corner of 
the empire ; and although far from univer- 
sally credited, it produced even more than 
the good effect anticipated. Those who, 
wfeen the storming party first entered the 
covert, had sought safety in trees, could 
with difficulty be prevailed upon to descend, 
in order to approach the mountain of flesh 
from which life was said to have departed ; 
and finally mustering courage to do so, in 
the frenzy of excitement, launched their 
spears and discharged their matchlocks, to 
the imminent peril of the bystanders and 
of each other. On the first intimation of 
the animals having, after two days' diligent 
search, been actually discovered, three 
fourths of the whole party had incontinent- 
ly disappeared. The Galla horsemen, who 
had previously boasted the destruction of 
elephants with their spears, did not venture 
to approach for a full hour after their ears 
had been saluted by the reports of the ri- 
fles ; and even the warrior who vaunted 
himself the " hereditary chieftain of all the 
"Braves of the Amhara nation," long clung 
pertinaciously to his secure seat among 
the topmost branches. 

As the fact of the downfall of the noble 
beast became more widely credited, and 
15* 



the scattered forces gradually rallied round 
it, chief after chief offered his hand in con- 
gratulation of the, in his eyes, daring ex- 
ploit ; ^expressing his wonder and amaze- 
ment, that a small rifle-ball had been able 
to accomplish the annihilation of the bulk 
and life of seventy seasons, and extolling 
the prowess of the king's European visitors 
in the encounter with so formidable a mon- 
ster, whose colossal strength could have 
carried him trampling through a whole 
array of their own host, dealing death and 
destruction wheresoever his will impelled 
him. While dancing and howling around 
the carcass, amid the crimson torrent which 
deluged the ground, they affirmed the deed 
to be the work of genies, and of super- 
natural beings, and complimented the doers 
as the " bravest of the brave," under the 
titles of " Figa" and " Gobez ;" declaring 
that " the mould whereof the Gyptzis were 
fashioned must be of a rare quality, and 
that if all the subjects of Shoa were but 
composed of the same material, the domin- 
ions of Sahela Selassie would know no 
limit." 

Boroo, the brave chief of the Soopa, who 
had with extreme difficulty been restrained 
from following the forlorn hope at the head 
of his gathered retainers, and thus alarm- 
ing the quarry by the noise and confusion 
of many hundred horsemen, was more 
particularly earnest and vehement in his 
protestations and congratulations on the 
victory achieved — having himself antici- 
pated none but the most fatal results from 
what he termed so rash an attack upon 
the hitherto unsubdued monarch of the 
wilderness, and trembled for the royal 
vengeance which any accident to the par- 
ty would infallibly have drawn upon his 
devoted head. " The world was made for 
you alone," concluded the old warrior in 
a perfect ecstasy of delight, " and no one 
else has any business in it." 

The trunk and ear of the beast so much 
dreaded throughout the district, having 
been hewn from the carcass, upon the iron 
folds of which neither the swords nor the 
lances of the assembled Galla and Amhara 
could make the smallest impression, were 
finally borne off in triumph ; and during 
the return to the encampment on the hill- 
top, the same honors were paid which are 
exacted by the despot on his triumphal 
entry after a successful expedition against 
the heathen. Horsemen galloped in every 
direction, shouting the prowess of the 
Gyptzis, and announcing that " those who 
had gone forth to slay the mighty elephant 
had successfully performed the quest." 
Groups of women and girls lined the hill- 



220 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



side, and as the hunting-party crowned the 
steep, raised their shrill voices in the thrill- 
ing note of praise and welcome. The tents 
were entered amid the deafening chorus 
of a war-song. Bullocks were instantly- 
slaughtered for the entire of the followers. 
Double the daily liberal supplies of every 
description were poured in. Sprigs of 
green asparagus were presented, by the 
sons of the delighted governor, to orna- 
ment the hair in earnest of victory. Dame 
Twotit composed a new extemporaneous 
sonnet upon the occasion, which she re- 
hearsed during half the night ; and until 
the cock crew, every quarter of the village 
of Manya resounded with wild dancing, 
martial music, and war songs, in celebra- 
tion of an achievement, now for the first 
time witnessed by the Christian population 
of Shoa. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI. 

THE NORTHERN GALLA, FROM ARGOBBA TO 
THE TULEMA. 

Giddem was conquered by Asfa Woosen, 
grandsire to Sahela Selassie, from Latta, 
the ruler of the first Mohammadan settlers. 
A succession of deep valleys, stretching 
eastward to the very confines of the Adaiel, 
are occupied by the tributary Galla tribes 
of Gille and Soopa, who have become con- 
verts to Islamism — the-Allala river inter- 
secting the country of the former, of which 
the principal village is Esgieye, and the 
Negeso that of the latter, whose chief re- 
sides at Allaiyo. Farther to the north, 
where a continuation of the wild tract of 
forest land is visible, the Ada'fe threads 
the district inhabited by that portion of the 
Wollo w 7 ho own allegiance to Shoa under 
the government of Efrata, and by the Doo- 
googra Galla, who were also dependent, 
but have long been in a state of open re- 
bellion. Large quantities of excellent 
coffee are cultivated in Manchettee and 
Efrata, and with the salt " amoles," which 
it has been seen are imported from Tigre 
by the Wollo and Worra Kaloo, are brought 
to Shoa by the Moslem merchants. In 
Giddem itself, however, coffee is not culti- 
vated, owing to the prejudice entertained 
respecting its use by the Christian popula- 
tion generally. 

Westward of Giddem, and interposed 
betwixt it and Morabietie, is the province 
of Mans, largest of all the component dis- 
tricts of Shoa, but subdivided into Lalo, 
Mama, and Ghera, each of which forms a 
distinct government. Abiye, third king 



of Efat, defeated and subjugated Gole, the 
then independent ruler, whose daughter 
Wolensa was the mother of Zenama Work, 
the queen-dowager. This lady, therefore, 
looks upon Mans as her hereditary posses- 
sion, and she is much beloved by the peo- 
ple, although, as regards their allegiance 
to the crown, they still retain a large share 
of their ancient independence. Haughty, 
brave, obstinate, and quarrelsome, they 
openly avow to have little knowledge of 
Sahela Selassie — never swear by his 
name, as is the usage of his majesty's 
more dutiful and loyal subjects — often de- 
pose the governors whom he appoints to 
rule over them — and refuse to take part in 
the annual raids over the southern border, 
upon the grounds that they have quite suf- 
ficient occupation in the adjustment of in- 
testine feuds and boundary disputes. These 
latter are points not always satisfactorily 
adjusted in Europe — nor is it extraordinary 
that they should be attended with some 
difficulty in Africa. 

During the rebellion of Medoko, the 
king in his distress sent an urgent mes- 
sage to the people of Mans, saying, " My 
brothers, my relations, hasten to help me !" 
and pouring in at the summons, the wild 
hordes arrived in time to decide the issue 
of the dubious day. But so well aware is 
the despot of his precarious footing, that 
he relies entirely upon the tact displayed 
by his mother, avowing her northern sub- 
jects to be his own flesh and blood, upon 
whom he could not impose a heavy taxa- 
tion. The only tribute paid, therefore, is 
in sekdat, a black woollen cloth woven of 
the raven fleece of the native sheep of the 
country, and invariably employed in. the 
manufacture of the royal tents. 

This fabric also furnishes a costume in- 
dispensable in so rigorous a climate, where 
the bleak unsheltered hills, swept by a 
cutting easterly wind, rank among the 
coldest portions of Abyssinia. The soil is 
chiefly a fat black earth, producing abun- 
dant crops, but perfectly destitute of tim- 
ber. Salt is the only circulating medium ; 
and a man's wealth is estimated by the 
number of his ploughshares, which are care- 
fully buried until wanted. The swarthy 
complexion of the inhabitants, and their 
black, weed-like habiliments, distinguish 
them among all the other subjects of Shoa 
— wearers of the white cotton robe — than 
whom they are even more superstitious, 
bigoted, and ignorant ; the few erudite 
among them being nevertheless esteemed 
right cunning sorcerers, and, as such, 
dreaded wheresoever they wander. 

Mans has already been introduced as a 



SIEGE OF ARIKKEE— WOLLO INROADS. 



221 



province famous for the lake Alobar, the re- 
puted residence of the king of the Genies, 
through which the river Shai flows to join 
the Nile. Of yore, when the spot now in- 
undated was terra firma, the Virgin Mary 
is said to have appeared in the house of the 
wealthiest cultivator residing in the many 
flourishing villages that then existed ; and 
to have addressed herself to the mistress, 
saying, "I am hungry, and have nothing to 
eat. Give me corn, and I will grind for 
wages." A vast heap of grain was pointed 
out, sufficient for a week's labor ; but no 
sooner had the Virgin touched it than it 
was miraculously converted into meal. 
The inhospitable master now refused the 
pittance claimed ; nor would the " Four 
Chairs," before whom the complaint was 
carried, give redress, until a poor shepherd 
had become mediator. As a mark of the 
displeasure of Heaven, the scene of his 
offence against the mother of Christ was 
forthwith converted into a lake, which has 
since formed the abode of the lord of all 
the gins and evil spirits in the land ; and 
from that period large quantities of dabo, 
or wheaten cakes composed of the whitest 
flour, have been supplied by general con- 
tribution to the shepherds on the festival 
of Debra Tabor, and on the anniversary of 
"our blessed Lady." 

Immediately north of Giddem, and in- 
terposed betwixt the frontiers of Shoa and 
Argobba, is the district of Dibbie, under 
Abba Munsoor, a Wollo Galla of conse- 
quence, formerly governor of Wofagabel, 
in the territories of Birroo Lubo, and no- 
torious for his personal valor. Having, 
with a chosen band of followers, rebelled 
some years since against the prince of 
Argobba, he fortified himself at Arikkee, a 
high table-topped mountain on the Wollo 
border, where he steadily rejected the terms 
that were offered for his capitulation. A 
strong force of spearmen, supported by a 
thousand musketeers and matchlockmen, 
was at length sent to reduce the insur- 
gents ; but no sooner had the besiegers 
opened fire from a deep defile that environs 
the strong hold, than five hundred of their 
number were laid dead by a storm of stones 
from above ; the residue, as usual on such 
occasions, retreating in the utmost disor- 
der. The entire scarp of the precipitous 
hill had been lined with beams and rafters 
balancing huge masses of rock ; and the 
leathern thongs by which they were lashed 
being simultaneously cut away by the gar- 
rison, destruction was carried along the 
whole extent of the crowded ravine. After 
this signal victory, Abba Munsoor aban- 
doned his citadel, and tendering faith to 



Sahela Selassie, was placed on the frontier 
of his former liege, where his valor and 
trusty services have gained him the high- 
est place in the royal favor. 

The dread entertained by the Christians 
of the independent Moslem denizens of the 
low country, has been ably portrayed by 
the personal confessions of their monarch. 
The destruction of a single individual of 
the hostile tribes, by the most treacherous 
means, is esteemed a feat of the greatest 
valor, and one that entitles the hero to the 
highest distinctions. His majesty's recent 
allusions to his highland neighbors, the 
men of Geshe, " who carry broad shields, 
and fight hand to hand," had reference to 
the receipt of tidings of the defeat of Ayto 
Amito, one of his principal frontier gov- 
ernors, by Abogaz Gobassie, a brave chief- 
tain in the service of Birroo Lubo, who, 
with a large detachment, had attacked and 
routed the Amhara with great slaughter. 
This disastrous news had been followed 
by the arrival of Ayto Kalassie from Kaa, 
on the west of Antzochia, with intelligence 
that being unable any longer to stem the 
inroads of the Wollo, he had been com- 
pelled to take flight, leaving the enemy in 
possession of a fine district across the river 
Wonchit, pertaining to the principality of 
Zenama Work. 

These events caused considerable con- 
sternation in the kingdom of Shoa ; and it 
being apprehended that the Mohammadans 
would follow up their success in the direc- 
tion of Giddem, all the Wollo gunmen in 
the royal service were discharged, and 
Christians and converted Galla slaves en- 
listed in their room. A large detachment 
of the body-guard was then ordered to the 
north for the defence of the frontier ; but 
under the conviction that, as on all former 
occasions, the Amhara cavalry would leave 
them to dispute the field alone with their 
brave foes, they proceeded on the service 
with the greatest possible reluctance, al- 
though placed under the immediate com- 
mand of Chara, the son of Medoko, who 
is scarcely less renowned for valor than 
was his rebel father. 

Birroo Lubo, the prince of Argobba,* 
is descended from Lubo the son of Wat- 
sooba, who is said to have been a weaver, 
and who espoused the daughter of Endries, 
governor of Gof. Amade, the last ruler 
of Worra Himano, educated Birroo, the 
fruit of this union, and created him gov- 
ernor of Gof, whereupon he diligently oc- 
cupied himself in the extension of his 
dominions, dividing his residence between 

* This term is applied by the Adaiel to the whole of 
the border country in which cotton is cultivated. 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



222 

the town and Ain Amba. His elder son, i 
Ali Birroo, met an untimely death in one I 
of the many border struggles .with the 
troops of Sahela Selassie ; and the only 
surviving brother, Amade, who is to suc- 
ceed his now aged father, has already ob- 
tained a great reputation for personal valor 
in the field. The intercourse with the 
Ada'iel, whose caravans come from Aussa 
to Dowwe, on the frontier, is notoriously 
more frequent and secure than between 
Taj lira and Shoa ; and, with a view still 
further to facilitate the communication, 
the prince, who is extremely advanced in 
years, has given one of his daughters in 
marriage to the chieftain of the united 
tribes Hurruk Bodaito. 

The next most influential personage on 
this frontier is Adara Bille, surnamed, 
from the title of his favorite war-steed, 
" Abba Daghet," " the Father of Height." 
This chieftain resides at Gatira,* in the 
district of Changiet, and presides over the 
Wollo tribe Gora. As a bribe to secure 
protection to messengers proceeding to the 
northern states, he has received a number 
of villages from Sahela Selassie. Birroo 
Lubo has conferred his daughter in mar- 
riage, with territory in his own dominions, 
and affords military aid in time of need 
as a check upon the western Galla ; and 
Imam Liban, of the powerful Worra tribe, 
has likewise made considerable grants of 
land with a similar object. Thus possess- 
ed of extensive power, and courted on all 
sides, the treacherous chief avails himself 
of his position to shift the cloak according 
to the wind; and, although wedded to 
Birroo's daughter, has never yet assisted 
that ruler in his hostilities against Shoa. 

Although not nominally tributary to 
Gondar, both Birroo and Adara Bille afford 
military aid whenever called upon, and the 
Wollo soldiery form the stoutest bulwark 
of the decayed empire. Were all these 
fanatic tribes of one accord, they could 
not fail to endanger the safety of Christian 
Abyssinia ; but they are fortunately divided 
throughout by the same feuds and private 
animosities which sever the southern Pa- 
gans. Hating Christian and heathen with 
all the dire inveteracy enjoined by their 
creed, and slaying both without mercy on 
every opportunity, the Wollo preserve all 
the superstitions of the latter, below whom 
they are in many respects debased by Mo- 
hammadan bigotry— thus affording a mel- 
ancholy proof of what the whole Galla 
nation must become, should it ever unfor- 
tunately happen that Abyssinia terminated 

* The Cyprus tree. 



her intestine struggles by falling under tihe 
grasp of a Moslem ruler. Intercourse with 
the northern states has imparted to the 
Wollo a higher degree of cultivation than 
is possessed by their countrymen in the 
south; and passing nearly the whole of 
their time in the repetition of prayers, a 
proverb and general belief prevails, that 
their country can never be conquered by 
those who are not followers of the Prophet 

a superstition embraced even by the 

Christians of Shoa, in consequence of Ras 
Ali being last year defeated by the Wollo 
cavalry at Korkora, on his march to invade 
Efat. The vernacular language of all this 
border, is Galla, adulterated with Amharic 
and with the Arabic of the Koran ; which 
two latter may be expected in the course 
of a few generations entirely to obliterate 
the aboriginal tongue. 

Ali Marie, the independent Mohamma- 
dan prince of Tehooladeree, wherein is 
the lake Haik. has long been in firm alli- 
ance with the king of Shoa, and twice ably 
assisted him against the Wollo, an impor- 
tant piece of service, for which his majesty 
remunerated him handsomely. It is now 
two vears since he was defeated by Birroo 
Lubo. and driven to seek refuge at the 
Christian court, until, having mustered 
sufficient reinforcements, he contrived, af- 
ter several severely-contested battles, to 
reinstate himself in his government ; and 
it is said of the warrior, that, on the occa- 
sion of this struggle for empire, " he slew 
so many of the foe with his own hand, that 
the clotted gore could not be effaced from 
his spear blade." 

Again deposed by Birroo, he was now a 
fugitive in Mofa. a strong fortress to the 
west of lake Haik. The victor, whose pre- 
text for the war was Ali Marie's refusal 
to acknowledge allegiance to Ras Ah, has 
thus, bv the subjugation of Tehooladeree 
Galla. "obtained possession of the entire 
line of road from the frontiers of Shoa to 
Tigre, and has, moreover, deprived his en- 
emy the neo-oos of his stanchest and most 
powerful alfy. It is not a little singular, 
that Sahela Selassie, who is on outward 
terms of friendship with Ras Ah, should 
have been suffered to afford an asylum to 
Ali Marie, without being called to account. 
On the occasion in question, the haughty 
but humbled fugitive bared his shoulders 
to the Christian monarch, according to the 
Abyssinian mode of evincing respect, re- 
marking, as he did so, " that he gave this 
token of deference for the first time during 

his life." . 

The Tiilema Galla are the last to be 
mentioned on the northern frontier of Shoa, 



FABULOUS MONSTERS— AN IMPOSTOR. 



228 



and at their hands the most serious disas- 
ters and reverses have uniformly been ex- 
perienced. A former emperor of Ethiopia 
is said to have married a female slave, by 
whom he had three children, Metcha, Ka- 
raiyo, snd Tulema. These youths were 
charred with the royal herds, and being in 
the wilderness, and" brave young men, they 
soon drew around them a number of dis- 
contented vagabonds who embraced their 
Sragnage and manners, which were those 
of their mother, who had been brought 
from the very centre of Africa. Concert- 
ing an attack upon the southern provinces 
oAhe empire beyond the Hawash, they 
defeated the imperial army on the banks of 
the river Gala in Guraghie, which runs 
south toward Zingero ; but of numerous 
clans and houses into which the rebels be- 
came subsequertly divided, the twelve 
tribes of Metck, the Karaiyo, and the 
Tulema have aloie retained their aborigi- 
nal appellation. 

Attempting to'nvade the territoy of the 
Abidchu and Ghenn, the Tulema were de- 
feated and driven t> the northwest, where 
they established thenselves on the bleakest 
and most lofty highlnds, and to the pres- 
ent day have mainlined their independ- 
ence. One portion hve become converts 
to the Mohammadan iith, but the occu- 
pants of the mountain )era adhere to hea- 
thenism. Woosen Sugud succeeded in 
subjugating some few t these tribes ; but 
on the accession of Saela Selassie, they 
cast off the yoke, and eing joined by a 
member of the blood-royaof Shoa, became 
formidable enemies. Foe after force has 
been sent against Kalal the capital, on 
the borders of Morabeitie.nd always with 
the same result. BirrooJukiza, and his 
successor the brave Abl Damto, have 
invariably repulsed the 'bldiers of the 
cross," with fearful slauger, and many 
governors have been hewnn twain from 
the crown of the head to e sole of the 
foot. In the mind of the suystitious Am- 
hara, fear has gradually gin birth to a 
belief of the existence in tht> cold moun- 
tains of a race of fabulous -ings called 
Arita, to whom their reverseare attribu- 
ted. The lower portion of t body is de- 
scribed to be that of an ass o black dog, 
while the head and shoulders.ssume the 
human form, and with the g, costume, 
and language of mankind, colete a dis- 
guise which enables the mons»s to roam 
undetected over the border stricts of 
Shoa, in prosecution of their bdy career 
of cannibalism. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII. 

THERMAL WELLS AT FEELAMBA. 

The day following the victory over the 
monarch of the forest, was passed in the 
laborious operation of hewing out the pon- 
derous tusks, each of which formed the 
load of a donkey, and was valued at one 
hundred German crowns. A strong force 
was in attendance to keep the peace ; and 
owing to the inferiority of the tools at com- 
mand, and the existing necessity of cut- 
ting completely through the head to the 
root of the lower tusk, which was half-bu- 
ried in the soil with the violence of the fall, 
the trophies were not borne off until the 
sun had set. The wounded man had mean- 
while been conveyed to the camp for sur- 
gical aid. The edges of the laceration in 
his thigh had been by an amateur practi- 
tioner neatly brought together with acacia 
thorns fastened by threads of wiry grass ; 
and a handful of silver easily reconciled the 
patient to a few weeks of confinement to 
his bed. 

An Armenian, acting in capacity of dra- 
goman to the embassy, had been the Ms- 
culapius — a man who, without the smallest 
pretensions, gratuitously set up also to be 
a first-rate Nimrod ; and the merriment 
made throughout this day at his expense 
had covered him with confusion. When 
setting out from Ankober with a borrowed 
musket, he had rubbed his hands and feign- 
ed the highest spirits at the prospect of 
resuming his " old sport," for he had slain 
elephants by the dozen in Northern Abys- 
sinia ; and their tails, he contended, " like 
the tails of all elephants, were not tufted 
at the extremity as asserted by his master, 
but covered with long hair after the fashion 
of the horse !" A mouse wandering from 
an adjacent granary at Dokaket, and un- 
wisely scampering over his bed, fell a sac- 
rifice to the well-aimed staff of the hero, 
who by virtue of this brilliant exploit stuck 
a white feather in his hair, and whooped the 
war-song during half the ensuing march. 

Nevertheless, in the course of the first 
day's unsuccessful hunting, he had been 
seen to retreat into a cavity of the earth in 
a manner far from creditable to his nerves ; 
he had been heard to exert his voice in 
earnest supplications for assistance at the 
rumored approach of the animal for whose 
life he had previously affected to thirst; 
and when at last actually confronted with 
the defunct monster, he was fain to confess 
that he only once beheld a live elephant 
"from the summit of a .very high tree, 
when he discharged his matchlock as thd 



224 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



beast retreated, and the people declared that 
it would die." 

This curious confession on the part of 
the impostor, whose statements had here- 
tofore been credited, led to further disclo- 
sures. He had been addicted to shooting 
at hyenas by night in the suburbs of Adowa ; 
and having once been so fortunate as to 
overturn the object at which he fired, he 
flew enraptured to the spot, and was some- 
what disagreeably surprised to find a Chris- 
tian man weltering in blood, which flowed 
from a perforation through the heart. For 
this untoward murder he was sentenced to 
pay two hundred pieces of salt, by Oubie 
the usurper, who, however fond of putting 
his own subjects to death, permitted no one 
else to do so with impunity ; and, unable 
to raise the amount of the fine among his 
numerous friends, he adopted the alterna- 
tive of flight. 

In Shoa he set up as a physician, and 
practiced medicine, until so many patients 
died under his hands that the king was 
compelled to issue an interdiction. It form- 
ed the veteran's boast, that although well 
stricken in years, he could still bolt ten 
pounds of raw beef at one and the same 
sitting, whereas if subjected to a culinary 
process, three were more than he could 
contrive with comfort. Notwithstanding 
all his exaggerations, he had witnessed 
strange sights, which are but too well cor- 
roborated. He had seen the monster Ou- 
bie, when his conscience was stained by 
fewer foul crimes than it now is, put out 
the eyes of his elder brother, who, as the 
searing-iron hissed over the unflinching 
orbs, thanked God that he had so long been 
spared the use of them ; and he had seen 
Has Subagadis, under whom he had a petty 
government in Tigre, executed by the hands 
of a pagan Galla, who undertook the task 
for some bread and a barille of hydromel, 
after numerous Amhara had refused to be- 
come headsman to so humane a prince. 

Every object in visiting Giddem having 
been fully and satisfactorily accomplished, 
the party bade adieu to the hospitable old 
governor, whose parting request was that 
he might be favorably mentioned to his 
royal master. This was unhesitatingly 
promised ; and Ayto Elbeshar was deputed 
to lead the way to the celebrated thermal 
springs of Feelamba, situated within his 
government, and which it had been deter- 
mined to visit, on the return route to An- 
kober. Descending by an extremely steep 
footpath to a deep dell below the Aito hill, 
the road wound above a mile along the 
sunken channel of the narrow river, through 
which meandered a rippling brook of crys- 



tal water, agitated at intervals by miniature 
cascades, and shaded throughout its tortu- 
ous course by trees and flowering creepers 
of luxuriant beauty. In an angle formed 
by a sudden bend are the hot weils, five in 
number, rising at some distance from each 
other — the remnants of old volcanic action 
which have long entirely disappeared in 
other parts of their theatre, but have left 
behind them, in this secluded and highly 
picturesque spot, a salubrious fountain of 
life. 

Aragawi, the most celebrated of these 
springs, derives its name from one of the 
nine missionaries of the Greek church, who, 
at the close of the fifth century, completed 
the conversion of Abyssinia during the 
reign of Alameda. He is styled also Za 
Michael ; and is said to ha^e been conveyed 
on the tail of a huge serpent to the summit 
of the lofty and then inaccessible rock on 
Debra Damo, where he founded a convent 
whereof he is the tutelar saint, and which 
is still one of the most reiowned in Ethio- 
pia. It is recorded of Aragawi that he 
raised the dead, and oused the blind to 
see ; and among the n^nifold notable mir- 
acles ascribed to him, he not least remark- 
able is the conversion*) Christianity of the 
devil himself, whomhe persuaded to take 
the monastic cap fo'forty years .' 

Selassie, the H<y Trinity, is another 
open pool or basinsituated close to Ara- 
gawi, and like it riing in bubbles from the 
sandy bank and be of the stream. In both 
the temperature s>od at 118° of Fahren- 
heit. Mariam, th blessed Virgin, at 115° 
issues from a ere, provided with a rude 
door, and partitked by a bar of wood into 
two cells for ne and old diseases, and in 
these patients vre in the act of immer- 
sion. Abbo, ati20°, percolates from the 
centre of a stp bank of soft red sand- 
stone, coveringasaltic wacke, through an 
artificial spoutiserted for the convenience 
of drinking thvaters. Numbers of dread- 
fully diseased retches, the lame, the halt, 
and the blindvho were here assembled, 
with victims ho had suffered under the 
Galla knife, rmed a horrible spectacle, 
which calledvidly to mind the scriptural 
account of t pool of Bethesda. 

The sup^itendence of the numerous 
patients wnhus flock hither to undergo 
the discipli/of the baths, is limited to the 
collection «one piece of salt, value two- 
pence halfiny sterling, for the use of the 
wells, whj are believed to possess the 
highest saive virtues in a great variety 
of disordej The waters possess a slight 
taste and ell of hydrothion gas ; but the 
fact that y may be drunk hot from the 



mm* 



'**■ 



THE " EM ABIET"— FORTRESS OF ARAMBA. 



225 



spring without creating nausea, leads to 
the conclusion that there is a considerable 
quantity of herthin (zoogene) dissolved in 
them. There is no precipitate whatever ; 
and not five yards from their origin they 
mingle with a strong current of pure cold 
mountain water, to which no perceptible 
alteration is imparted, whether in color, 
temperature, or taste. 

Many rare and beautiful birds were here 
obtained, among others, the adagoota, a 
superb black-crested falcon, which had been 
first seen in the wilderness of Giddem. 
Following the course of the Feelamba to 
its junction with the Jow-waha, whereof it 
forms the principal source, the main road 
was gained at no great distance from the 
ford, and the steep Gozi range again sur- 
mounted to the village of Telim Amba. It 
is situated on a height, divided by a deep 
valley from the opposite residence of the 
governor of Mahhfood, whose lady present- 
ly sent, through a slave girl, the expression 
of her regret, that "the king's guests" 
should have chosen to halt at so great a 
distance ; and although it exceeded four 
miles, she finally insisted upon sending a 
huge pepper pie, and other ready-cooked 
provisions. " You might eat these," was 
the message delivered by the Abigail : 
" they were prepared for you, but you have 
taken another road." 

On the banks of the Robi, Ay to Abaiyo 
had again been met, superintending ope- 
rations at one of the royal threshing-floors, 
where all the inhabitants of the district 
were assembled. Self-interested motives 
had induced him very uncivilly to oppose a 
day's hunting on that river, upon the al- 
leged score of existing hostilities with An- 
bassa Ali. In order to free himself from 
the unwelcome visitors, he clandestinely 
instructed the guide to lead the most direct 
route, and hence arose the offence com- 
mitted against the " Emabiet"* 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 

RETURN TO ANKOBER. 

An extremely steep and infamous road, 
intersected by numerous mountain torrents, 
conducted the following day to Aramba. 
After crossing the district of Arraba Amba, 
which pays tribute to the crown in agates, 
whereof numbers of the form adapted for 
gun-flints are picked up on the face of the 
soil, the path wound above three miles 

* i. e. "The mother of the house" — a title of honor 
employed in speaking of the queen, the princesses royal, 
the mistress of a family, and the holy Virgin, who is 
usually styled " Our Lady." 



along the channel of the Shonkorghie, 
" Sugar-sides," which takes its source in 
the Turmaber range, and during the rains 
becomes quite impassable. Here the black- 
berry and the corinda still abounded, both 
in full fruit. The scenery was especially 
beautiful ; and in a romantic glen on the 
river bank, partially secluded by a grove 
of tall trees, among which the green and 
crimson " zoreet" displayed its gorgeous 
plumage, stood the picturesque church and 
monastery of " Our Lady." 

Aramba was taken from the Areeo Galla 
by Abiye, third monarch of Shoa ; and now 
containing a large portion of the treasures 
amassed by Sahela Selassie and his an- 
cestors, is garrisoned by a strong detach- 
ment of gunmen, and intrusted to the cus- 
tody of a governor, and of a shalaka, or 
captain of a thousand. No stranger is 
permitted to enter the village without first 
giving the personal security of one of the 
inhabitants ; and access is not under any 
circumstances allowed to the strong hold, 
which occupies the apex of a serrated rocky 
ridge, possessing great natural strength. 
Here, in a succession of long barn-like 
buildings, are consigned to mould and cob- 
webs, and jealously guarded, every civil- 
ized invention received by the despot, which 
could in any way tend to the advancement 
or improvement of his people. 

The camp was formed on a small level 
terrace, of which the precipitous brink 
overlooked a deep dark valley containing 
the sources of the Aramba water, each 
flowing through a narrow rocky ravine. 
Extensively cultivated, and echoing to the 
shrill voice of the partridge, it is studded 
with cottages, above the white roofs of 
which the wreaths of curling smoke rose 
in agreeable relief against the sombre side 
of the wood-clothed mountain that bounded 
the prospect. Woti, towering amid dense 
forests of timber, and appearing to bear on 
its venerable summit the crumbling ruins 
of a giant castle, shut in the view on one 
side, while on the other, far beyond the re- 
markable pyramid of Koka, which might be 
believed the work of Egyptian hands, could 
be traced the jungly banks of the Awadee, 
gradually fading into the blue aerial per- 
spective of the Adel desert. 

Every civility was experienced at the 
hands of the governor and shalaka; the 
latter of whom insisted on mounting guard 
over the tents in a small temporary bower 
erected as a defence against the nocturnal 
cold. Supplies of every description were 
made in regal profusion ; and the voracity 
of the Abyssinian followers, to whom the 
excursion had proved one continual feast, 



226 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



was most severely put to the test. The 
kind's orders, which, in consequence of the 
excessive cheapness of all the necessaries 
of life, entail small burden upon the host, 
threw open the doors at every stage, and 
afforded the most lavish commissariat ; and 
although the donors were in most instances 
precluded from receiving at the hands of 
his majesty's guests, money m remunera- 
tion vet presents of tenfold value in their 
estimation, while they served to remove all 
sense of obligation incurred, amply reim- 
bursed the traveller's tax imposed on his 
subjects by the despotic negoos. 

But different indeed would be the recep- 
tion afforded to the man who should ven- 
ture to wander through the country with- 
out the royal assistance. A well-stocked 
purse, or a well-filled portmanteau, would 
not invariably produce a salutary effect, 
since the savage has always some plan in 
abeyance bv which to obtain possession . oi 
any curious article exposed to his admiring 
gaze, without imparting aught of value m 
return ; and in Shoa a show of force is fre- 
quently requisite to extort that for which 
the most liberal payment has previously 
been tendered. Coupled with the desire to 
obtain property, there ever exists an innate 
disinclination to part with the most trifling 
commodity ; and even among the higher 
classes, a stick or a spear is sometimes 
peremptorily refused to parties who have 
previously loaded the ingrate with the rich- 
est imaginable presents. 

The last march lay over the mountain 
mass, of which Mamrat forms the core. 
The ascent in many parts is extremely 
tedious, and deep dells, intersecting the 
road, are traversed each by a clear stream- 
let, leaping from rock to rock in its down- 
ward course to vales far concealed from 
view. A singular bird's-eye view of pon- 
cho, the state prison, was obtained from 
the terrace on which, environed by dark 
iuniper trees, stands the church of Kidana 
Meherat, " the Covenant of Mercy. This 
very common title owes itself to an opinion 
entertained by the Abyssinian fathers, that 
God appeared to the Virgin Mary m para- 
dise, and formed a covenant with her tor 
the redemption of mankind. 

The voice of the mourners was soon 
after heard at the house of Ayto Manor, 
late governor of the district, who, to the 
great concern of the king, had recently 
departed this life. In boyhood a playfel- 
low of Sahela Selassie, the young prince 
had sworn that, on his accession to the 
throne, he would not forget him; and 
throughout his long reign, he had proved 
true to his word. Although the deceased 



had, by his disputes with the merchants of 
Hurrur, forfeited the government of Alio 
Amba, the most lucrative in the realm, he 
was immediately invested with another. 
Year after year, too, honors and wealth 
had been heaped upon him from the throne, 
in gratitude for which he willed to his 
liberal master the entire of his accumu- 
lated property, without making any pro- 
vision for his own children, who, in the or- 
dinary course of things, are permitted to 
reside twelve months on the father's estate 
before it reverts to the crown. 

A great portion of the latter part of the 
road lay through the mighty forests of 
Mamrat, of which the scenery was ren- 
dered singularly beautiful by the admix- 
ture of vernal and autumnal tints produced 
at this season, especially by the great 
proportion of towering evergreens. The 
shadowy and sombre juniper, fashioned 
like the tall cedars of Lebanon, and the 
fresh and lively " sigba," 



So massy, vast, yet green in her old age," 

wave stage above stage from the gloomy 
depths of the valley, to the very pinnacle 
of the mountain, amid the moss-grown 
forms of the silver-haired woira. The 
imperial purple lory, with myriads of brill- 
iant birds, darted through the cool reces- 
ses • the bell voice of the campanero tolled 
with monotonous regularity, and many a 
clear and sparkling rivulet bounded in 
splashing cascades over its broken channel. 
Deep-seated in this secluded retirement, 
and shut out from the rest of the world by 
the leafy screen, lies the monastery of 
Mantek, said to have been founded a thou- 
sand years. It is inhabited solely by 1 a- 
beebaL-men strongly suspected of being 
Jews in disguise— cunning workers m 
iron, wood, and clay, who are regarded as 
sorcerers, and shunned accordingly by all 
save the king, to whom ^ev are endeared. 
The austerities practiced by this frater- 
nitv "in order to obtain righteousness be- 
fore God," are perhaps as severe as any 
recorded in monkish annals. An oath is 
taken, under a curse, never to look at a 
female, nor to hear her voice, nor to eat a 
morsel of bread which has been prepared 
by woman's hands, and excommunication 
for twenty years is the penalty attached to 
the infringement of the vow. No fire » 
kindled either on Saturday or on the Sab- 
bath • the strictest fast is observed through- 
out the residue of the week ; many sit up 
to their necks in water for days together, 
at appointed periods all lash their naked 
bodies with rods of sharp thorns; and 
while every brother sleeps m a sitting pos- 



FATHER STEPHANOS-'RECEPTION AT THE CAPITAL. 



227 



ture upon a hard clay bench, with his loins 
girt about by a tough cord, the Alalia, their 
superior, does penance continually in a 
massive iron chain. 

A tree, which points to the monastery 
of Aferbeine, was adorned by the followers 
as they passed with the variegated feathers 
of the zoreet, and with fragments detached 
from their soiled cotlon garments. The 
portals of this convent are guarded by a 
blind dwarf, two feet four inches in stature, 
who never moves from his post save on 
men's shoulders. Among the unwashed 
tenants of the cloister, there was one who 
did not disdain to stroll forth, that he might 
greet the triumphant Gyptzis. Father 
Stephanos was perhaps the least bigoted 
of his profession, but he possessed his full 
share of ignorance and superstition. Le- 
viathan he believed to be a monstrous ser- 
pent carrying the world on its back. None 
possessed firmer faith in the winged cha- 
riot of Ethiopia, in which the celestial ark 
of the covenant is recorded to have been 
brought from the Holy Temple ; and he 
further labored under the happy delusion, 
that a fire kindled above his secluded con- 
vent, must, par excellence, be fully as con- 
spicuous at Jerusalem as the beacons in 
Palestine by which St. Helena announced 
at Constantinople her discovery of the 
Cross ! 

Old Osman, too, with the aid of his 
ivory-headed crutch, limped forth from his 
cell in the outskirts of Ankober, to inquire 
how his white friends " from beyond the 
world of waters had entered and passed 
their time?" A rover in Gurague, who 
had dealt largely in human flesh, and seen 
much of the unexplored interior, he finally 
followed the example of Habakkuk, the 
Arabian merchant, who, in the days of 
Tekla Haimanot, the ecclesiastic, and 
during the reign of King Naod, was 
brought to embrace Christianity, and be- 
came Elchegue, or superior of all the 
monasteries. A proselyte to the religion 
of Ethiopia, Osman had renounced the 
false prophet, and put away every Moham- 
madan abomination, coffee only excepted. 
Without the sober berry, he averred life 
to be a very burden ; and the clergy were 
fain to close their eyes upon the malprac- 
tices of one whose geographical informa- 
tion, united with great abilities as a spy, 
had exalted him to the highest place in 
the royal favor. 

A frequent visitor at the residency, the 
garrulous monk had opposed strenuous ar- 
guments to the projected war against the 
elephants, herds of which he represented 
to be so numerous around the lake Zooai, 



that caravans are afraid to traverse the 
dense forests unless provided with a num- 
ber of young goats, to whose bleat the 
colossus entertains an unconquerable an- 
tipathy. " Take my kid with you," he ad- 
vised : " on no account omit this, or the 
monsters will assuredly trample you." 
He had been reminded that " the battle is 
not always to the strong," but he invaria- 
bly shook his head ; and even now that the 
chorus of victory was ringing in his ears, 
and the tail of the fallen actually in his 
hand, he continued at intervals to ejacu- 
late, with upturned eyes, " No ; I like it 
not." — " By Mary ! it doth not please me." 
In the environs of the capital a vast con- 
course of people had assembled to welcome 
the safe return of the heroes from the hunt- 
ing-field ; and as the ivory trophies of the 
chase were borne through the crowd upon 
the shoulders of six men, great were the 
demonstrations of astonishment and com- 
mendation evinced at the successful issue 
of an expedition so universally ridiculed at 
its departure. Women and girls shouted 
in the market-place. Visits of congrat- 
ulation were forthwith paid by every 
friend and well-wisher, while the few who 
had spread disparaging reports, and who 
still continued to dislike the presence of 
the British in Abyssinia, evinced by their 
silence the envy and jealousy to which the 
unprecedented exploit had given birth in 
their breasts. Among those who felt more 
particularly annoyed and chagrined, was 
Sertie Wold, the purveyor general, who 
had not long before hunted the wilderness 
of Giddem for two successive months, with 
a retinue of more than three thousand 
spearmen and many fusileers, and who 
had during that enjoyed very superior op- 
portunities to the Gyptzis, without however 
being able to achieve the object of his high- 
est ambition — the death of an elephant. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX. 

HONORARY DISTINCTIONS. 

The court had removed meanwhile to 
Angollala ; but a paternal letter from the 
royal pen awaited the return of the embas- 
sy to the capital. " " Are my children well ? 
— have they entered in safety ? I have 
heard with joy of your success. Horse- 
men were dispatched, and they brought 
the glad tidings that you had killed. Has- 
ten hither, that I may confer upon you the 
reward due unto those who have slain forty 
Galla in the battle." 

No time was lost in accepting this invi- 



228 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tation, and a guard of honor met the party 
on the road. Together with sheep and 
oxen from the king, and barilles of hydro- 
mel from the queen, visits of congratula- 
tion were received from all the principal 
courtiers present. Among others, came 
Ayto Egazoo, whose hospitality had been 
extended on the way to Giddem ; and Ay- 
to Zowdoo,* formerly governor of the im- 
portant province of Geshe on the northern 
frontier, who was dismissed for bravely 
fighting against the Worro Kaloo, on the 
occasion when the son of Birroo Lubo fell — 
an event which, although highly gratifying 
to his majesty, policy had induced him to 
visit with severity, by the imprisonment 
and disgrace of all the principal Amhara 
engaged. Both of these visitors had, with 
sorrowful hearts, taken leave of the for- 
eigners ; and they now repeated the inward 
conviction entertained, that the animals 
against which the rash war was to be wa- 
ged would have " consumed the assailants" 
— a persuasion which had led them to che- 
rish not the smallest hope of seeing any 
one of them again. But greater than all 
was the delight of the chief smith, when 
he gave his assurance, after a careful ad- 
measurement, that the circumference of 
the ivory trophies then lying in the tent for 
presentation to his royal master, yielded 
two full spans in excess of any tusk in the 
royal magazines. 

A band of fusileers were at dawn the 
ensuing morning, directed to escort the 
triumphant Gyptzis to the presence ; and 
while ascending the hill through the vari- 
ous courtyards, they chanted the war cho- 
rus of death before the spoils of the van- 
quished elephant borne in advance. A 
successful expedition against the Loomi 
Galla having recently returned, the walls 
of the reception-haii were decorated with 
numerous trophies, hanging above the 
scrolls of parchment, closely written with 
blessings from the priesthood. But the 
whole court was in deep mourning, in con- 
sequence of the demise of Ayto Baimoot, 
the chief eunuch, who was nurse to the 
king in infancy, and had been through af- 
ter-life his principal adviser. Heads were 
close shaven, and temples scarified ; and 
those immediately about the royal person 
were clothed in sackcloth and ashes. 

" Your joy is my joy," exclaimed his 
majesty, so soon as the usual salutations 
had been concluded, "and I am delighted 
when my children are happy. I feared 
that the elephants would destroy you ; but 
you have achieved a triumph which none 

* i. e. My crown. 



other have accomplished during the reign 
of Sahela Selassie." 

While the king listened with great in- 
terest and seeming astonishment to the de- 
tail of proceedings, and to the assurance that 
the monarch of the forest might always be 
vanquished by a single bullet, if properly 
directed, the ivory was laid at the royal 
footstool. A long confession of the per- 
sonal dread entertained of the elephant by 
his majesty, was followed by an anecdote 
formerly touched upon at Machal-wans, of 
his own discomfiture, and that of his entire 
host, by a herd encountered during a foray 
against the Metcha Galla, when, being 
firmly convinced that the army would be 
destroyed, he had deemed it prudent to re- 
treat with all expedition. " I ran," he re- 
peated several times with emphasis — " I 
ran, and every one of my followers did the 
same. You evidently understand the mode 
of dealing with these monsters ; but if ten 
thousand of my people ventured to oppose 
a troop, the elephants would consume them 
all." 

After this candid avowal on the part of 
the despot, courtesy led to the intimation, 
that a strong desire had been entertained 
to bring from Giddem the spoils also of a 
wild buffalo, but that Ayto Tsanna's as- 
surance was received, of his majesty hav- 
ing, during an expedition made some years 
previously, fairly exterminated the species. 
" Oonut now" " that is true," he replied, 
"and you must not attempt to kill the 
' Gosh,' for it is a most ferocious and dan- 
gerous beast. What answer should I give 
if my children were demolished by buffa- 
loes in the kingdom of Shoa ? They con- 
sume men and horses. When I slew a 
buffalo in Giddem, there were ten men and 
ten horses destroyed. They reside in the 
thickets where they cannot be seen ; and 
putting their heads to the ground, annihi- 
late all who approach their lair. As soon 
as they have killed a horse, we close round 
them in vast numbers, and overwhelm them 
with spears and guns ; but you are few, 
and cannot attempt this." 

As this paternal remonstrance might be 
traced to a desire on the part of the mon- 
arch to place his own exploit in a superior 
point of view, the subject was changed by 
an assurance of the uniform kindness and 
hospitality experienced on the road, at the 
hands of Ayto Tsanna, and at those of the 
emabiet in Mahhfood more especially ; 
and each pause was followed by an ejacu- 
lation from the royal lips : " Did I not 
command him ? Is not Birkenich my 
daughter ?" 

Certain rewards and immunities are in 



THE INVESTITURE— REBELLION OF THE LOOMI. 



229 



Shoa attached to the destruction of ene- 
mies of the state, and of formidable wild 
beasts, which are regulated according to a 
fixed scale, and never withheld. These 
his majesty now signified his intention of 
conferring; and one of the ministers of the 
crown entering the hall, accordingly pro- 
ceeded, by the royal command, to invest 
the victors with the decorations due to the 
downfall of an elephant. 

" You have each slain forty Galla," re- 
peated the king, and are henceforth entitled 
to wear upon the riglit arm this bitowa, or 
silver gauntlet, surmounted by this choofa, 
or silver bracelet ; and on the left shoulder 
the spoils of a he lion, in token of your 
prowess, that it may be manifest unto all 
men." 

His majesty then, with his own hand, 
presented newly-plucked sprigs of wild 
asparagus, to be worn in the hair during 
forty days, and be at the expiration of that 
period replaced by the herkoom feather. 
And as the guests thus honored took their 
way down through the court-yards of the 
palace, a band of warriors again preceded, 
discharging their muskets at intervals, 
while they°chanted the Amhara war cho- 
rus, and danced the death triumph. 

The rebellion of the Loomi, which had 
now with infinite difficulty been quelled, 
affords an excellent commentary upon the 
nature of Sahela Selassie's Galla tenures. 
A portion of this tribe had failed to pay 
their tribute to the now disgraced governor 
of Mentshar, who was wounded in the at- 
tempt to levy it, and the royal forces took 
the field against them. Botha, who pre- 
sided over a portion of the Yerrur district, 
was also a defaulter, though not in open 
revolt ; but at the entreaty of his brother 
Dogmo, a faithful vassal of the king, he 
came in with his arrears as the army drew 
nigh ; and, having been mildly reproached 
for the delay, was- dismissed with pardon. 
No sooner, however, had he left the camp, 
than he went over to the Galla on the plain 
of the Ha wash, and aided the Loomi in a 
projected attack upon the Amhara. Upon 
this defection, Shambo, his elder brother, 
became apprehensive of consequences ; for 
he conceived it by no means improbable 
that he might be held responsible for an 
offence in which he had no participation, 
as in the case of Siimmad Negoos, late 
governor of Geshe, who is to this day a 
state prisoner in consequence of his brother 
Negooso going over to the ruler of Argob- 
ba. He therefore determined to renounce 
his alle fiance, but deferred the execution 
of his design until after joining Ayto 
Shishigo, who commanded the troops act- 



ing against the Loomi ; and it being then 
proposed to burn a village on the summit 
of an adjacent hill belonging to the tribe of 
Botha, he immediately took part with the 
enemy, and, heading an onset in person, 
slew a vast number of the Christians. 

One half of the Loomi hamlets were al- 
ready in flames, but the work of destruc- 
tion was now discontinued ; and the royal 
forces retreating in disorder, were again 
attacked by the rebel brothers, and defeat- 
ed with great loss within sight of the camp 
at Cholie. Perceiving his warriors flying 
in all directions, the king seized spear and 
shield, and commanded his steed to be sad- 
dled, to the end that he might take the 
field in person. But a wily monk, believing 
that his majesty felt no real anxiety to place 
himself in a position of such imminent 
peril, threatened excommunication if he 
stirred, and thus the day was irretrievably 
lost. 

Ha wash Oosha,* who governs the sub- 
j'igated sections of the Aroosi, Soddo, Li- 
ban, and Jille tribes, having meanwhile 
joined the insurgents, the whole Galla bor- 
der was in arms. This powerful chieftain, 
who was for many years the open enemy 
of the despot, had been finally gained over 
to the royal interest by large presents, and 
by the espousal of his daughter; since 
which period he has held, in nominal sub- 
jection to the crown, an important portion 
of the plain of the Hawash. He soon re- 
pented him of the part he had taken in the 
present insurrection; and the usual dis- 
sensions arising among the rebels, a depu- 
tation, assured of personal safety, fell on 
the ground before the footstool of the throne 
with overtures of future fealty. But the 
country was rich in flocks and herds ; and 
under the peculiar circumstances of aggra- 
vation attending the revolt, the delegates 
were commanded to arise, and to return 
whence they came, with an assurance to 
the contrite rebel that his fair plains were 
shortly to be the scene of pillage and deso- 
lation. 

Two successful inroads followed close 
upon this threat, and ample vengeance was 
taken. The wealth of the pagans v/as 
transferred to the royal meadows. Women 
wrung their hands in captivity, and a black 
and burning monument attested the lava- 
like course of the chastising hordes. The 
season of retribution again drew nigh, and 
Shambo and Botha trembled at the fate 
that awaited them. The powerful inter- 
cession of the church was sought with 
bribes, and obtained. A hooded monk 



* i. e. "The dog of the Hawash." 



230 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



from the cloisters of Affaf Woira, stood 
before the throne with a peace offering 
from those who supplicated pardon, and 
clemency was graciously extended. 

As the embassy entered the palace court 
at the royal invitation, the traitors were 
perceived prostrate upon their faces, heap- 
ing dust upon their heads in token of ab- 
ject humiliation. The fear of the heavy 
fetters of G6ncho was before their eyes ; 
and the half-inebriated state jailer scowled 
at them like a basilisk from the ladder of 
the balcony. But for once he was cheated 
of his prey. Five hundred head of choice 
black cattle, which the caitiffs had treach- 
erously swept from those whose cause they 
so lately espoused, were accepted as the 
price of pardon ; and with an eloquent har- 
angue from the throne, setting forth the 
duties of a liege subject, Shambo and Bo- 
tha were dismissed in peace. 



CHAPTER XC. 

CONCLUSION OF A TREATY OF COMMERCE. 

Angollala continued bitterly cold 
throughout the month of December ; and 
fires, although not quite indispensable, 
were always found pleasant enough. A 
dry cutting wind from the eastward blew 
throughout the day ; but the clouds, which 
often gathered over the surrounding moun- 
tains, occasionally disturbed the serenity 
of the afternoon with a squall of hail. 
Snipe abounded among the serpentine 
streams which intersected the environs of 
the palace-hill ; and the hero who possess- 
ed courage to cast off the blankets before 
the sun rose, invariably saw the hoar frost 
lying white over the faded meadows. Dogs 
continued to howl in packs, and mendicants 
to importune as of yore. Dirty pages and 
troublesome idlers still infested the tent ; 
and the approaches were choked by nume- 
rous bands of Yedjow Galla, who were 
begging their way to the country of Ded- 
jasmach Faris. Day and night their mo- 
notonous voices arose from every quarter 
of the town, and Christian adjurations by 
" Miriam " and " Kedoos Michael," were 
often nearly drowned by the choral hymn 
uplifted to Allah and the false prophet. 

A new invoice of beads, cutlery, trinkets, 
ghemdjia, and other " pleasing things," had 
been received from the coast ; and visits 
were therefore unusually rife on the part 
of all who loved to be decorated. Abba 
Mooallee, surnamed " the Great .Beggar in 
the West," with his adoptedxbrother, ap- 



peared to hold the lease of the tent in per- 
petuity ; and in return for amber necklaces 
and gay chintz vestments, hourly volun- 
teered some promise, simply, it would 
seem, that they might afterward enjoy the 
pleasure of forfeiting a gratuitous oath. 
If solemn asseverations by highly respect- 
| able saints and martyrs were to be received 
I with credit, messengers were almost daily 
! dispatched, and on fleet horses too, for the 
! purpose of bringing from the Galla de- 
pendencies on the Nile, among other trea- 
sures, the spoils of the gdssela, a black 
leopard, elsewmere not procurable, and 
" worn only by the governors of provinces." 
But by some unaccountable fatality, not 
one of these fleet couriers ever found his 
way back to the English camp at Angol- 
lala; and the cry meanwhile continued, 
without intermission — " Show me pleasing 
things ; give me delighting things ; adorn 
me from head to foot." 

Nor were there wanting other standing 
dishes, of an equally rapacious and insa- 
tiable character, and scarcely more addict- 
ed to veracity. Gadeloo, " the hen-pecked," 
was punctual in his attendance, by order 
of the emabiet of Mahhfood, who had al- 
ways a new want to be supplied. " May 
they buy," with an unsound steed for sale 
at an unconscionable price, brought daily 
an urgent request of some sort from his 
spouse. Neither did any morning pass 
without a protracted visit from Shunkoor, 
" Sugar," own brother to the queen, escort- 
ed by Ayto Dedjen, " Doors," his shadow 
and boon companion, and grand-nephew to 
the monarch himself. But the attachment 
subsisting between these inseparable allies 
was one day suddenly dissolved over a de- 
canter of unusually potent hydromel ; and 
a sabre-cut on the head of either, demon- 
strated, alas ! the fleeting and unstable 
nature of all sublunary friendship. 

As each evening closed, the nobility were 
to be seen streaming from the royal ban- 
quet, supported upon their ambling mules 
by a host of armed and not very sober re- 
tainers. A tribe of ragged pages bringing 
messages from the palace, accidentally en- 
tered at the same time to report the sub«J 
stance of the conversation, although manyl 
of the illustrious visitors were absolutely- 
inarticulate. Lances were hurled at a tar- 
get to the imminent peril of all spectators ; 
and the neck of the vanquished having 
been duly trampled under foot, according 
to the ancient Oriental form of military 
triumph, all who anticipated any d'fficulty 
in reaching their own abodes, staggered 
into the tent of the Gyptzis to laugh at the 
mad pranks of Daghie,the obsequious court 



mmm 



THE COURT BUFFOON—" THE LONG GUNMAN." 



231 



buffoon, and the flower of Abyssinian min- 
strelsy. 

Decked by the favor of the monarch in 
a shining silver sword, the Merry Andrew, 
fiddle in hand, came scraping and chanting 
his way homeward, with eyes sufficiently 
inflamed to indicate where he had been 
dining. Kissing the earth as he took his 
seat in the tent, amid many antics, grima- 
ces, and inquiries, he proceeded to elicit 
from the instrument, imitations of the hu- 
man voice under various intonations of joy, 
surprise, and sorrow ; and the host of re- 
tainers, crowding round the doors with 
shoulders bared, next shouted their appro- 
val to some travestie of the wild Adel slo- 
gan, or joined their voices in full chorus to 
swell the Amhara death triumph, or this 
the pibroch of the Nile : 

" The sword is burning for the fight, 
And gleams like rays of silver light ; 
Let thoughts of fear enthral the slave — 
Rouse to the strife, ye Gojam brave. 

" Clustering they come, the Turkish rout 
Ring back on high the Amhara shout ; 
For honor, home, or glorious grave — 
Rouse to the strife, ye Gojam brave. 

" The sword of Corfu leads the war, 
And dastard spirits quail afar ; 
None here to pity, none to save — 
Rouse to the strife, ye Gojam brave. 

" Our swords in tint shall soon outvie 
Yon scabbard of the crimson dye, 
And overhead shall ruddy wave — 
Rouse to the strife, ye Gojam brave. 

" Red as their belts their blood shall flow, 
Deep as the hue of sunset glow ; 
Mercy to none who mercy crave — 
Rouse to the strife, ye Gojam brave." 

Pages and Abigails were hourly in at- 
tendance, on the part of their royal master 
or mistress, with some rubbish from the 
palace, which was carefully removed from 
its red and yellow basket of Gurague grass, 
divested of all its numerous wrappers, and 
confidentially exhibited with an inquiry, 
sotto voce, " whether more of the same de- 
scription was not to be obtained ?" The 
outcry raised for detonating caps was weari- 
some and incessant ; for although it was 
notorious that the royal magazines boasted 
a hoard sufficient to answer the utmost 
demand of at least three generations, the 
king was ever apprehensive of bankruptcy, 
in event of a quarrel with the Ada'iel, " be- 
cause his own people knew not the road 
beyond the world of waters." Thus it 
happened that Kidana Wold, the long gun- 
man, who had charge of the royal armory, 
received private instructions to look in at 
the residency at least twice a week, with 
a inamalacha for fifty or a hundred tezabs, 
J nd regularly once a month to aver that 
he had been so unfortunate as to drop from 



his girdle another box of his majesty's pa- 
tent anti-corrosives — a loss which, unless 
timely repaired, must inevitably result in 
the forfeiture of liberty. " The Gaita has 
discovered my carelessness," he would add, 
with tears in his eyes, " and, by Mary ! if 
you don't help me immediately, I shall be 
sent to Goncho." Treble. strong canister 
gunpowder was also high in demand, its 
superiority over the manufacture of Shoa 
being admitted even by the maker. But 
the sulphur monopoly remained as hereto- 
fore most jealously guarded. The ill-starred 
individual who had charge of the mines on 
the frontier, in an evil hour accepted silver 
for a lump of the purified commodity, which 
was required for the cure of applicants 
having the beggar's disease ; and spies re- 
porting the peculation, the delinquent was 
condemned to perpetual labor in the hot 
valleys of Giddem. 

This convict was accompanied in his 
exile by a shrewd lad, who had been de- 
tected at the Bool Worki market in giving 
circulation to two counterfeit dollars. 
Weeks of incessant toil had enabled him 
to produce, out of a crude lump of pewter, 
very creditable imitations of the coinage of 
Maria Theresa. Every spot and letter had 
been most closely represented with a punch 
and file, and the ingenious artist, naturally 
enough, seemed vastly mortified at the un- 
toward consequences of his labor. " Tell 
me," inquired the king, as the culprit was 
being removed, " how is that machine made 
which in your country pours out the silver 
crowns like a shower of rain ?" 

Architecture now occupied a full share 
of the royal brain. The hand corn-mills 
presented by the British Government had 
been erected within the palace walls, and 
slaves were turning the wheels with un- 
ceasing diligence. " Demetrius the Ar- 
menian made a machine to grind corn," 
exclaimed his majesty in a transport of 
delight, as the flour streamed upon the 
floor ; " and although it cost my people a 
year of hard labor to construct, it was use- 
less when finished, because the priests de- 
clared it to be the devil's work, and cursed 
the bread. But may Sahela Selassie die ! 
These engines are the invention of clever 
heads. Now I will build a bridge over the 
Bereza and you shall give me your ad- 
vice." 

Early the ensuing morning the chief 
smith was accordingly in attendance with 
hammer and tongs ; and " when the sun 
said hot," the pious monarch, having first 
paid his orisons in the church of the Trinity, 
proceeded, with all suitable cunning, to plan 
the projected edifice beneath a fortunate 



232 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



horoscope. Twelve waterways were traced 
with stones under his skilful superinten- 
dence on a site selected after infinite dis- 
cussion ; and in five minutes a train of 
slaves from the establishment at Debra 
Berhan, were heaping together piles of 
loose boulders to serve as piers. Splinters 
of wood connected the roadway, and in 
three days the structure was complete, its 
appearance giving promise of what actual- 
ly happened — demolition within as many 
short hours, on the very first violent fresh 
to which the river is subject during the 
annual rains. 

But predictions of the impending catas- 
trophe were received with an incredulous 
shake of the head ; and the advice that or- 
ders should be issued to the governors on 
the Nile to keep a vigilant look out for the 
upper timber on their voyage down to 
Egypt, was followed by a good-humored 
laugh and a playful tap on the shoulder of 
the audacious foreigner, who, to the horror 
and amazement of the obsequious courtiers, 
had thus ventured to speak his mind to 
the despot. In vain was it proposed to 
construct a bridge upon arches which 
might defy the impetuosity of the torrent. 
" All my subjects are asses," retorted his 
majesty : " they are idle and lazy, and de- 
void of understanding. There is not one 
that will consent to labor, no, not one ; 
and if through your means they should be 
compelled to perform the task, they would 
weep, and invoke curses on the name of 
the Gyptzis. Your corn mills are approved, 
because they save the women trouble, but 
by the shades of my ancestors ! — a bridge 

" Here all sense of the decorum due 

to the sceptre was forgotten for the mo- 
ment, and the monarch whistled aloud. 

And the king was right. Weaving ex- 
cepted, which in so cold a climate is an 
art indispensable to existence, the people 
of Shoa can hardly be said to practice any 
manufacture. The raw cotton, which is 
as cheap as it is excellent and abundant, 
is by him who would be clad, handed over 
with a number of qmoles proportioned to 
the size of the cloth required. A common 
bow is used to spread the wool ; and the 
spinning jenny being unknown, the thread 
is twisted by means of the ancient spin- 
dle, to which motion is imparted Sy a rapid 
pressure betwixt the left palm and the de- 
nuded thigh, while the right hand is sim- 
ultaneously carried upward for the purpose 
of " roving." Time is here held of no 
account ; and female labor having supplied 
the want of machinery in these prelimina- 
ry operations, the twist is transferred to 
a rude locomotive loom, and a warm dura- 



ble mantle is produced with the aid only 
of a simple shuttle. 

British commerce has not only forced 
its way, but created markets and custom- 
ers in many a wilder and more inaccessi- 
ble portion of the globe than Christian 
Abyssinia, and its operation promises to 
open the only means of improvement and 
civilization. Even in the absence of wa- 
ter carriage, the experience of many years 
has proved that the living ship of the de- 
sert is a machine of transport adequate to 
the most important traffic ; and, if once 
established, that traffic would, in a few 
years, doubtless bind both people and ru- 
ler in the strongest chains of personal in- 
terest. 

A commercial convention betwixt Great 
Britain and Shoa was a subject that had 
been frequently adverted to ; and his ma- 
jesty had shaken his head when first as- 
sured that five hundred pair of hands, ef- 
ficiently employed at the loom, would bring 
into his country more permanent wealth 
than ten thousand warriors bearing spear 
and shield. But he had gradually begun 
to comprehend how commerce, equitably 
conducted, might prove a truer source of 
wealth than forays into the territories of 
the heathen. This conviction resulted in 
the expression of his desire, that certain 
articles agreed upon might be drawn up on 
parchment, and presented for signature, 
which had accordingly been done ; and 
the day fixed for the return of the embassy 
to Ankober was appointed for the public 
ratification of the document by the annex- 
ure thereto of the royal hand and seal. 

Nobles and captains thronged the court- 
yard of the palace at Angollala, and the 
king reclined on the throne in the attic 
chamber. A highly illuminated sheet, 
surmounted on the one side by the Holy 
Trinity — the device invariably employed 
as the arms of Shoa — and on the other by 
the royal achievement of England, was 
formally presented, and the sixteen arti- 
cles of the convention in Amharic and 
English, read, commented upon, and fully 
approved. They involved the sacrifice of 
arbitrary appropriation by the crown of the 
property of foreigners dying in the coun- 
try, the abrogation of the despotic in- 1 
terdiction, which had from time immemo- 
rial precluded the purchase or display of 
costly goods by the subject, and the re- 
moval of penal restrictions upon voluntary 
movement within and beyond the kingdom, 
which formed a modification of the obso- 
lete national maxim, " never to permit the 
stranger who had once entered, to depart 
from Abyssinia." All of those evils had 



TREATY SIGNED— THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 



233 



heretofore been in full force ; but his ma- 
jesty unhesitatingly declared his determi- 
nation to annul them for the good of his 
people. 

Tekla Mariam, the royal notary, kneel- 
ing, held the upper part of the unrolled 
scroll upon the state cushion, and the 
king taking the proffered pen, inscribed 
after the words " Done and concluded at 
Angollala, the Galla capital of Shoa, in 
token whereof we have hereunto set our 
hand and seal, Sahela Selassie, who is the 
Negoos of Shoa, Efat, and the Galla." 
The imperial signet, a cross encircled by 
the word " Jesus," was then attached by 
the scribe in presence of the church, the 
dech agafari, the governor of Morat, and 
three other functionaries who were sum- 
moned into the alcove for the purpose. 

" You have loaded me with costly pres- 
ents," exclaimed the monarch as he re- 
turned the deed : " the raiment that I wear, 
the throne whereon I sit, the various ca- 
riosities in my storehouses, and the mus- 
kets which hang around the great hall, 
are all from your country. What have I 
to give in return for such wealth ? My 
kingdom is as nothing." 



CHAPTER XCI. 

• THE HOUSE OF SOLOMON. 

Ethiopia is the classical appellation for 
Abyssinia, or Habesh, the most ancient as 
well as the greatest monarchy in Africa. 
It is by the latter title that the inhabitants 
themselves, and all their circumjacent 
neighbors, still distinguish the highlands 
included between Nubia and the sources 
of the blue Nile ; and the limits of the 
Christian empire, g^-erned by the sove- 
reigns of Axum, formerly extended over 
wide tracts of country, now peopled by 
heathen and stranger nations. 
. The early history of Habesh is lost in 
the fogs of fable. In the Chronicles styled 
Kebra za Negest, " the glory of the kings," 
a romance which pretends to be a faithful 
repository of the past, Ittopia is modestly 
stated to have divided with Romia the do- 
minion of the world, received in direct in- 
heritance from Adam. " Their rulers were 
both descended from Shem, who was nom- 
inated the lineal descendant of Noah, 
whence all the globe north of Jerusalem 
belonged unto the former, and all south to 
the latter !" 

This record is believed to have been dis- 
covered in the church of St. Sophia : and 
16 



it claims for the present royal family de- 
scent from the Queen of Sheba, whose 
visit to King Solomon is stated to have 
placed the sceptre in the hands of the tribe 
of Judah, with whom it has remained un- 
til the present day ; and from the peasant 
to the despot this'iegend is firmly believed 
by every native of Abyssinia. 

" The Queen of Ethiopia," saith the 
Chronicle, " whose name was Maqueda, 
had heard from the merchant Tamerin of 
the wisdom and glory of King Solomon ; and 
resolving to visit him in his own country, 
she proceeded to the land of Israel with 
all the rich presents that her empire could 
afford." 

After a season the royal lady returned ; 
and her sou Menilek, the result of her visit 
to the greatest potentate of the age, was 
born, and in due time transmitted to his 
august sire. The young prince was duly 
instructed in all the mysteries of Jewish 
law and science, and being anointed king 
under the name of David, he was returned 
to his native land, escorted by a large suite 
of the nobles of Israel, and a band of her 
most learned elders under the direction 
of Ascarias, the son of Zadok the high 
priest. 

The gates of the temple of Jerusalem 
were left unguarded ; and the doors mir- 
aculously opened in order that the holy 
ark of Zion, and the tables of the law, 
might without difficulty be stolen and car- 
ried away. The journey was prosperously 
performed, and the queen-mother, on re- 
signing the reins of authority to her son, 
at her death, about nine hundred and sev- 
enty years before the birth of Christ, caus- 
ed a solemn obligation to be sworn by all, 
that henceforward no female should hold 
sway in the land ; and that those princes 
of the blood royal upon whom the crown 
did not devolve, should, until the succes- 
sion opened to them, or during the natural 
term of existence, be kept close prisoners 
on a lofty mountain ; a cruel and despotic 
enactment, which, through a long succes- 
sion of ages, was jealously observed. 

The Emperor of Ethiopia early adopted 
the title of negoos, or negash ; and the 
coast of the Indian ocean toward Sofala, 
was held by his deputy with the style of 
Bahr Negash, " the king of the sea," — a 
vicegerent with the same title, governing 
Yemen, which from the earliest time down 
to the Mohammadan conquest of Arabia, 
belonged to Abyssinia. The family of 
Menilek ibn Hakim are stated in the Ke- 
bra za Negest, to have worn the crown in 
uninterrupted felicity until the year of our 
Lord 960, when an event occurred which 



■■ 



234 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



nearly obliterated that dynasty, and first 
spread anarchy, violence, and oppression, 
throughout the once-happy realm. 

Christianity became the national religion 
of Abyssinia in the beginning of the fourth 
century. The Falashas, descendants of 
the Jews, who are believed to have accom- 
panied Menilek from Jerusalem, had mean- 
while waxed extremely powerful, and re- 
fusing to abandon the faith of their fore- 
fathers, they now declared independence. 
Electing a sovereign of their own creed, 
they took possession of the almost impreg- 
nable mountain fastnesses of Simien, where 
their numbers were augmented by con- 
tinual accessions from the Jews, who were 
expelled from Palestine and from Arabia. 
Under the constant titles of Gideon and 
Judith, a succession of kings and queens 
held a limited sway until, in the middle of 
the tenth century, the Princess Esther, 
styled, by the Amhara, Issat, which signi- 
fies " fire," a woman of extraordinary beauty 
and talent, conceived the design of sub- 
verting the religion, and with it the exist- 
ing order of succession in the empire. A 
fatal epidemic had swept off the emperor, 
and spread desolation through court and 
capital. Del Naad, who had been nomi- 
nated to the crown, was of tender years : 
and Esther, deeming no opportunity more 
favorable, surprised the rock Damo, on 
which, by virtue of the existing statute, 
the other scions of the royal house were 
confined, and having massacred the whole, 
five hundred in number, proclaimed herself 
the queen over Abyssinia. 

The sole surviving prince of his race was 
hurried by the Amhara nobility into the dis- 
tant and loyal province of Shoa ; and the 
reins of government passed into the hands 
of a Christian family of Lasta, styled Ze- 
gue, with whom they remained until the 
thirteenth century. During the adminis- 
tration of Naakweto Laab, the last of this 
dynasty, Tekla Haimanot the monk, a na- 
tive of Abyssinia, was created aboon.* He 
had previously founded in Shoa the celebra- 
ted monastery of Debra Libanos, and was 
a man celebrated alike for the purity of his 
life, the soundness of his understanding, 
and his devotion to his- country. Obtain- 
ing extraordinary influence over the mind 
of the king, he prevailed upon him, for con- 
science-sake, to resign a crown which could 
never be purified from the stain of usurpa- 
tion. The banished line of Solomon, con- 
tent with the dominion of Shoa, had made 
no effort toward the recovery of their an- 
cient boundaries ; but by a treaty now con- 

* This is the title of the primate of Ethiopia. 



eluded, Yekweno Amlak was restored to 
the throne of his ancestors; Naakweto 
Laab retaining only Lasta in perpetual in- 
dependence, with the golden stool, the sil- 
ver kettle-drums, and other insignia of 
royalty, while one third of the realm was 
permanently ceded to the primate for the 
maintenance of his ecclesiastical dignity, 
and for the support of the clergy, convents, 
and churches. This was styled the " Era 
of Partition ;" and it formed a stipulation 
that the functions of archbishop should in 
future be vested in none save a Copt, or- 
dained from Cairo by the chair of St. Mark. 



CHAPTER XCII. 

THE LINEAGE OF SHOA. 

Thus affairs continued until the six- 
teenth century, when the invasion of Mo- 
hamirvau Graan led to the total dismember- 
ment ol the Ethiopic empire ; and Shoa, 
among -otr>er of the richest provinces, was 
overrun and colonized by the Galla hordes. 
Nebla Dengel, the emperor of Gondar, fell 
by the hand of the Moslem conqueror. Fa- 
ris, the son of Dilbonach, by a daughter of 
the house of Solomon, held a ras-ship 
under the crown, in the strong hold of Dair. 
and from his son Sumbellete sprang Na- 
gasi, the first monarch of Efat. who was 
born at Amad Washa, the capital of Agam- 
cha, and a century and a half ago held his 
capital in Mans. Prior to the conquest of 
that province, which was followed by the 
gradual subjugation of Shoa and its pres-. 
ent dependencies, this prince occupied a 
lofty fortress in the Yedjow country, where 
some of his descendants still remain. From 
it are visible the high and impregnable 
mounts Ambasel and«£reshama ; the latter 
of which fastnesses, in the more remote pe- 
riods of Ethiopic splendor, had served as a 
place of confinement for the younger broth- 
ers of the reigning emperor ; while the , 
former is in the hands of an independent 
ruler, whose ancestress becoming the mis- 
tress of the Christian governor, the father 
of the Delilah contrived, during the cele- 
bration of her nuptials, to surprise the gar- 
rison, and put every man to the sword. 

Nagasi repaired in due time to Gondar, 
to be formally invested by the emperor; 
but after receivingatthe royal hands twelve 
" nugareets," he died suddenly. To one 
of his four sons he bequeathed on his death- 
bed a shield, to a second a spear, to a third 
a ring, and to Sabastiye, his favorite child, 
a war-steed which he had always ridden to 



. 



SHADOW EMPEROR OF GONDAR. 



235 



combat. The youths were summoned to 
court in order that they might receive their 
legacies ; and on opening an amulet at- 
tached to the horse's neck, it was found to 
contain the will and testament of the de- 
ceased, nominating Sebastiye the succes- 
sor to his possessions. 

This prince reigned twenty-five years, 
and was succeeded by Abiye, his eldest son, 
who after fifteen years was gathered to his 
fathers at Aramba, which he had wrested 
from the Areeo Galla. Emmaha Yasoos, 
who succeeded next, and reigned thirty- 
two years, introduced several matchlocks 
from Gondar, conquered Ankober, and re- 
moved his capital thither from Dokaket. 
At the period of his accession, the sorcer- 
ers predicted that if one Arkaradis should 
be appointed minister, the empire would 
be doubled. Search was accordingly made 
throughout the realm, but# mendicant was 
the sole individual of that name who could 
be found. He was duly inducted into of- 
fice ; and his first step was to revive among 
the circumjacent Galla an ancient prophe- 
cy, that when fires should be seen on the 
summits of the three loftiest peaks of the 
great barrier range, their possessions wouW 
be overrun by the Christians. After rite 
lapse of a few months, Arkaradis caused 
beacon-fires to be kindled during tb^ night 
on the crests of Kondie, Ank^oer, and 
Mamrat ; upon beholding whbfi many of 
the heathen fled, and, without a blow being 
struck, sundry districts were appended to 
Shoa. 

Asfa Woosen, gran&ire to'the reigning 
monarch, succeeded to his father Emmaha 
Yasoos, and reigned thirty-three and a half 
years. Of forty-eight male children he was 
the bravest. He was a great Nimrod, and 
an unparalleled warrior, slaying three hun- 
dred Pao»ns with his own spear from the 
back of his favorite war-steed Amadoo. 
Among many other despotic laws enacted 
during his reign, was one prohibiting the 
manufacture of hydromel by the subject. 
Three great rebellions threatened the sta- 
bility of his empire, which had now shaken 
off all allegiance to Gondar, but each in 
turn was quelled by his personal valor. 
The last insurrection was headed by Woo- 
sen Suggud, the heir-apparent. In a pitch- 
ed battle the youth was wounded by the 
hand of his father, taken prisoner, and im- 
mured during the term of the monarch's 
life. During the last fifteen years of his 
reign, Asfa Woosen was totally blind. It 
is fully believed that the sight of one eye 
was destroyed by Thavanan, as already 
narrated in the legend of " the tormentor," 
and that one of the royal concubines, whom 
16* 



the sorcerer had spirited away, destroyed 
the other shortly afterward, by means of 
a powerful spell imparted by her paramour. 
Since the commencement of the present 
century the custom of consigning to a dun- 
geon the brothers and kindred of the reign- 
ing monarch has grown into desuetude in 
Northern Abyssinia. The princes of the 
blocd royal now wander over the country 
unmolested and unheeded, attaching them- 
selves to any chief who may be w-tfiing to 
extend countenance and support, and hold- 
ing themselves at his disposal in the event 
of his gaining ascendencj over his rivals, 
and requiring a titular emperor to perform 
the indispensable ceremony of nominating 
a ras. But the farm is still retained, of 
placing the crown upon the brows of a 
descendant of tie ancient line of Solomon, 
who is contend to be a mere puppet in the 
hands of thr temporary minister ; and en- 
joying a stipend of three hundred dollars 
per ann*m, and the paltry revenues accru- 
ing fWm the tolls of the hebdomadal mar- 
ket Ai the capital, he remains a prisoner 
u/on parole in his palace at Gondar. 



CHAPTER XCIII. 

THE MONARCH AND THE COURT. 

Sahela Selassie, " the clemency of the 
Trinity," seventh king of Shoa whose sur- 
name is Menilek, was twelve years of age 
when the assassination of Woosen Suggud 
called him from a monastery to the throne, 
and placed in his hands the reins of despotic 
government over a wild Christian nation. 
His sire had enjoyed a brief, but exceed- 
ingly active reign of four and a half years, 
during which he extended his empire far 
beyond the limits bequeathe^ to him by 
Asfa Woosen — made conquests in the south 
to the mountains of Gar** Gorphoo, and in 
the west to the Nile. The most despotic 
measures marked Ais transient but iron 
rule ; and had be survived, the expecta- 
tions formed o^him would in all probability 
have been realized, and he would have be- 
come monarch of all Abyssinia. But the 
nation groaned under his oppression ; and 
after v series of the harshest acts, induced 
by visits in disguise, like those of Haroun 
A?faschid the great caliph of Bagdad, to 
me houses of his subjects, and to places 
of public resort, a Shankela slave, whom 
he had provoked by ill usage, turned upon 
his royal master, and having slain him with 
a sword, set fire to the pilace at Kondie, 
which was burned to the ground ; and the 



236 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



wealth amassed in many earthen jars, melt- 
ed, according to the tradition, into a liquid 
stream of mingled silver and gold, which 
flowed over the mountain side. 

In Shoa as in other savage countries the 
tidings of the dissolution of the monarch, 
unless timely concealed, spread like light- 
ning to the farthest extremities of the king- 
dom, and become a signal for rapine, anar- 
chy, and murder, which rage unrestrained 
during the continuance of the interregnum. 
Every individual throughout the realm 
deems himself at full liberty to act accord- 
ing to the bent cf his own vicious inclina- 
tions — to perpetrate every atrocity, and to 
indulge in the gratis cation of every re- 
vengeful and licentious passion, without 
fear of retribution or of punishment ; and 
it being perfectly understood that there 
exists neither law nor rult until the new 
sovereign shall have been proclaimed, the I 
kingless land for a season rum rivers of 
blood. Fearful was the tragedj that fol- ! 
lowed the assassination of Woosen b-iggud. I 
The royal family residing at Ankobei". and i 
the heir-apparent at a still greater distance 
from Kondie. there ensued a scene of anai- | 
chy and confusion which it would be diffi- ; 
cult to describe, and at DebraLibanos alone 
there fell no fewer than eight hundred vic- 
tims to private animosity, of whose murder 
no account was ever taken. 

The eyes of the monarch being closed 
in death, the minister styled dech aga- 
fari, "the introducer through the door," 
proceeds to the inauguration of the suc- 
cessor, who, unless some other arrange- 
ment shall have been willed, is usually the 
heir-apparent. Presented to the senators 
and to the inmates of the palace, the herald 
proclaims aloud, " We have reason to 
mourn, and also to rejoice ; for our old 
father is dead, but we have found a new 
one." The accession thus declared, the 
king is invested with the robes of state, 
and taking seat upon the throne, the public 
officers first in order, and then the people, 
offer homage, and bovy before his footstool. 
General mourning is invariably observed 
during the seven days wMch follow the 
promulgation of the national calamity. 
Men, women, and children evince their 
grief by tearing the hair, scarifying the 
temples with the nails, and casting them- 
selves sobbing and screaming upoi>. the 
ground — the good qualities of the deceased 
being extolled the while. But the chief 
mourners on the melancholy occasion, are 
those princes of the blood-royal who are 
affected by the barbarous practice handed 
down from the earliest periods of Abyssin- 
ian history ; for in the kingdom of Shoa, 



revolutionary projects against the crown 
have invariably been anticipated, by con- 
signing the uncles and brothers of the sove- 
reign to a subterranean dungeon, where 
they pass the remainder of their days in 
the elaborate carving of harps and orna- 
ments of ivory. 

Widely different from that of the aspiring 
Rasselas is the lot of these pining members 
of the dynasty of Shoa. No happy valley 
is theirs, whom a barbarous policy has from 
time immemorial condemned thus to linger 
in hopeless imprisonment during the rem- 
nant of their sublunary pilgrimage, unless 
the demise of the despot without issue 
should, peradventure, call some one of the 
captives from the dank vault to the throne. 
Food, with the scanty materials for amuse- 
ment and occupation, are indeed allowed, 
together with permission to breathe the air 
of heaven, after the sun has set, upon their 
own green hills. But no domestic tie links 
them to the society from which they are 
immured — no sympathy of wife or child 
can ever, by a word of kindness, alleviate 
their lonely condition. The bonds of re- 
lationship have been rudely snapped asun- 
der, and the very name of brother is the 
stern curse of those whose only crime is 
then affinity to the monarch. 

Sev^n princes of the blood-royal were 
inmates if the vaults of Goncho on the ar- 
rival of the British embassy in Shoa. The 
legitimate iss>ue male of the reigning sove- 
reign has fortunately been limited to two ; 
but it was not ttie less melancholy to re- 
flect, that one or other of these interesting 
youths must, in all human probability, drag 
out the noon and evening of his days with- 
in the walls of that dismal dungeon, where 
so many have sunk into the grave unre- 
corded and unpitied. The crown, although 
hereditary in the house of Solomon, is 
elective by will at each decease, and the 
eldest born can assert no exclusive title 
to succession by right of primogeniture. 
Bashakh Woorud, " go down if you like," 
is an ominous title enough to distinguish 
the heir-apparent to the throne. Better 
known by his Christian appellation of Hai- 
loo Mulakoot, and now in his sixteenth 
year, he has by his royal sire been permit- 
ted to accompany the army into the field, 
when he slew some of the Galla with his 
own hand ; but entertaining a predilection 
for the church, he is educating in the mon- 
astery of Loza ; while his brother, Seifa 
Selassie, "the sword of the Trinity," who 
is three or four years younger, is the fa- 
vorite of his father, and may be regarded 
as the heir-presumptive. 

In accordance with the custom of the 



QUEEN BESABESH— THE ROYAL HAREM. 



237 



land, this prince is also secluded in a mon- 
astery at Medak, under the Alaka Amda 
Zion. In addition to a eunuch and a 
nurse, each of the royal scions is attended 
by guardians, whose office it is to prevent 
his playing- truant or creating disturbances 
in the kingdom. They are trained to 
equestrian and warlike exercises, and to 
the use of the shield and spear ; and are 
made to attend divine service, to fast, to 
repeat their prayers, and to peruse the 
psalms at night. Their course of educa- 
tion differs little from that of other Abys- 
sinian youths, than whom they are even 
more under monkish influence. The study 
of the Gebata Hawariat, or " table of the 
apostles," which comprises the seven epis- 
tles of Peter, John, James, and Jude, and 
the acquisition of the Psalter by heart, is 
followed by the perusal of the Revelations, 
the epistles of St. Paul, and the gospels — 
the histories of the Holy Virgin, of Saints 
George and Michael, Saint Tekla Haima- 
not, and others, completing the course. 
Few of the priesthood understand the art 
of writing, and all regard the exercise of 
the pen as shameful and derogatory. The 
royal princes, therefore, stand little chance 
of instruction in this branch of education, 
and their acquaintance with the Abyssinian 
code of jurisprudence must depend also 
upon the erudition of their preceptors. The 
strictest discipline is enforced ; disobedi- 
ence is punished by bonds and corporal 
chastisement, which latter the king causes 
to be inflicted in his presence ; and fully 
imbued with the conviction, that to " spare 
the rod is to spoil the child," his majesty 
occasionally corrects the delinquent with 
his own hands. 

Queen Besabesh — " thou hast multi- 
plied " — the mother of the young princes, 
and also of four princesses, is the daughter 
of the last independent, ruler of Morabeitie. 
She was relict of Tekla Georgis, a com- 
moner of Shoa ; and although not perma- 
nently resident in the palace, is much be- 
loved by Sahela Selassie. Five hundred 
concubines complete the royal harem, of 
whom seven reside under the palace roof, 
thirteen in the immediate outskirts, and 
the residue in various parts of the empire. 
By these ladies, the king has a numerous 
progeny ; the males, who are not obnox- 
ious to imprisonment on a new accession, 
being created governors of provinces, while 
the illegitimate daughters are bestowed in 
marriage upon whomsoever his despotic 
majesty may think proper to select among 
the nobles and magnates of the land. 

The ceremony of taking into the royal 
harem a concubine of rank, which meas- 



ure is usually connected with some polit- 
ical object, consists in an interchange of 
presents between the monarch and the pa- 
rents of the damsel. Chamie, the Galla 
queen of Moolo Falada, near the Nile, pre- 
sented with her daughter, who occupies a 
niche in the harem, a dower consisting of 
two hundred milch cows, one hundred 
teams of oxen with ploughs, a number of 
horses, and many slaves of both sexes, 
gdssela skins, and other choice peltries, 
and five hundred vessels of virgin honey, 
with twelve cats to watch over and protect 
them from the inroads of the mice. Mo- 
hammadans and Pagans are compelled, 
after the formation of the royal alliance, 
to embrace the Christianity of Ethiopia ; 
but that fidelity is far from being a conse- 
quence of the conversion has been evinced 
in numerous disgraceful instances, the not 
least notorious of which involves the repu- 
tation and the health of one who long enjoy- 
ed a most exalted place in the king's affec- 
tions — a sister of Wulasma Mohammad. 

Throughout intra-tropical Africa the 
nugareet, or kettle-drum, forms the em- 
blem of power, as does the sceptre in 
other realms. Appointments, edicts, and 
proclamations*, roll with its notes to the 
ears of the attentive nation of Shoa. It 
accompanies all forays and campaigns, is 
the symbol of investiture, and even the 
Church is controlled by its echoes rever- 
berating from the palace hill. The trum- 
pet is also a concomitant on state occa- 
sions, when two large crimson debaboch, or 
aftabgirs, screen the royal person. The 
attire of Sahela Selassie, although usual- 
ly plain and unassuming, is, on certain 
pageants, more imposing, and is then as- 
sisted by all the gold and tinsel that the 
wardrobe can boast. The precious metal, 
for which he entertains a vast affection, 
forming his exclusive prerogative, is dis- 
played in massive bracelets and rings, and 
in the embroidery with which the tight vest 
of green silk is profusely loaded, although 
partially hidden beneath the enveloping 
robe of Abyssinia. His majesty's crown 
is an elegantly embossed tiara, with nu- 
merous chains hanging in gorgeous clus- 
ters around the brow, and surmounted by 
the imperial plume of white egret feathers. 
But save on the Saturday in Passion 
week, during a solemn assembly held in 
the palace court, which is then -decked 
out with carpets, and velvets, and gay- 
cloths, when the priests rehearse the mili- 
tary achievements of the monarch, and 
the gathered population respond with the 
loud hum of approbation — on the great an- 
nual review at the feast of Maskal, and the 






298 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



triumphal return from the foray against 
the heathen Galla — there is little pomp or 
pageant to be witnessed at the present 
day. Badges and honorary distinctions, 
however, still continue to be conferred up- 
on the brave in war. The high-sounding 
titles of household officers are yet scru- 
pulously retained ; and these, with the 
embossed shield, the silver sword, the 
gauntlet, the bracelet, the armlet, and the 
glittering akodama, attest the presence at 
the court of Shoa of the last remnant of 
the ancient, but faded, grandeur of the 
proud emperors of Ethiopia. 



CHAPTER XCIV. 

THE REIGNING DESPOT. 

A more singular contrast of good ana 
evil was perhaps never presented than in 
the person and administration of the Chris- 
tian despot. Avarice, suspicion, caprice, 
duplicity, and superstition, appear to form 
the basis of his chequered character, and 
his every act exhibits a portion of mean- 
ness and selfishness, linked with a desire 
to appear munificent. Yet are these radi- 
cally bad ingredients tempereH and con- 
cealed by many amiable and excellent qual- 
ities. His virtues are many as they are 
conspicuous : his faults entail harm chiefly 
upon himself; and the appropriation of the 
greater portion of his hours might be held 
up as a worthy pattern for imitation. 

During the entire forenoon of every day 
in the week, the Sabbath and Saturday ex- 
cepted, which latter, as a remnant of Jew- 
ish religion, is universally reverenced, is 
he engaged in public affairs — in trying ap- 
peals, and in deciding suits which are 
Drought from all quarters of his dominions. 
Notwithstanding the impediments offered 
by a weak constitution, and by many bod- 
ily infirmities prematurely brought on by 
excess, he leads a life of constant activity, 
and, both as respects his public and his 
private avocations, stands greatly distin- 
guished above other Abyssinian rulers, 
who too justly incur the reproach of idle- 
ness and perpetual debauchery. 

After the religious performance of his 
matin devotions, the king inspects his sta- 
bles and workshops, bestows charity upon 
the assembled poor, dispatches couriers, 
and accords private audiences of impor- 
tance. Then reclining in state upon the 
throne, he listens for hours to all appeals 
brought against the decision of his judges, 
and adjusts in public the tangled disDUtes 



and controversies of his subjects. Here 
access is easy. Sahela Selassie listens to 
all, foreigners or natives, men and women, 
rich and poor. Every one possesses the 
right to appear before him, and boldly to 
explain the nature of his case ; and al- 
though the established usage of the land 
compels the subject to prostrate himself, 
and to pay rather adoration than respect, 
yet may he urge his complaint without the 
least hesitation or timidity. Judgment is 
always prompt, and generally correct ; nor 
will the observer be less struck with the 
calmness and placidity that mark the royal 
demeanor in the midst of the most boister- 
ous discussions, than at the method and 
perspicuity with which such manifold af- 
fairs are disposed of ; and while thus re- 
ceiving the most favorable impression of 
his majesty's capacity for the transaction 
of business, might even draw a parallel be- 
tween his demeanor and that of many more 
civilized monarchs, which would be flatter- 
ing to the semi-barbarous ruler of Shoa. 

At three o'clock the king proceeds to 
dine alone, and no sooner is the royal ap- 
petite appeased than the doors are thrown 
open, and the long table in the great ban- 
queting-hall is crowded with the most dis- 
tinguished warriors and guests. Harpers 
and fiddlers perform during the entire en- 
tertainment, and singers lift up their voices 
in praise of the munificence and liberality 
of their sovereign, who, during all this 
scene of confusion and turmoil, still con- 
tinues to peruse letters or to issue instruc- 
tions, until the board has been thrice re- 
plenished and as often cleared, and until 
all of a certain rank have freely partaken 
of his hospitality. At five he retires with 
a few of those who enjoy the largest share 
of intimacy, to the private apartments. 
Prayers and potent liquors fill up the even- 
ing hours, and the company depart, leaving 
the favorite page who is made the bearer 
of the royal commands. 

Midnight calls his majesty from his 
couch to the perusal of psalms and sacred 
writings. A band of sturdy priests in the 
antechamber continue during the livelong 
night to chant a noisy chorus of hymns to 
preserve his slumbers from the influence 
of evil spirits or apparitions, and daylight 
brings a repetition of the busy scene, 
which is only diversified by exercise on 
horseback, when business and the fickle 
sky will permit. Making excursions with 
from four to five hundred mounted follow- 
ers, it is then his wont to sit for hours on 
the splashy banks of some sequestered 
brook, listening to the soft murmur of the 
waters, conversing familiarly with those 



w 



mmmm 



INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH. 



239 



about him, witnessing the exercise of his 
stud, and devoting every leisure moment 
to the numerous petitioners who crowd 
with complaints around the royal person. 

Dreading the fate of his father, the mon- 
arch never stirs from his threshold unpro- 
vided with a pistol concealed under his 
girdle along with his favorite amulet, in 
which he reposes implicit faith and reliance. 
His couch is nightly surrounded by tried 
and trusty warriors, endeared to his person 
by munificence displayed to no other class 
of his subjects, while the gates of the 
palace are barred after the going down of 
the sun, and stoutly guarded during the 
continuance of the nocturnal hours. 

The principal officers of the royal house- 
hold, and those most confided in by the 
suspicious monarch, are the eunuchs. 
Ayto Baimoot, their late chief, was spe- 
cially charged with the royal harem in all 
its branches, as well as with the establish- 
ment of slaves. Long faithfully attached 
to his indulgent master, he was, while he 
lived, the king's only intimate counsellor, 
and was never separated from his person. 

Next in order is the herald, or dech 
agafari, who, in addition to the important 
duties already detailed, is the channel 
through whom all new appointments by 
the crown and all royal edicts and procla- 
mations are published to the nation. Armed 
with a rod of green rushes, he ushers into 
the presence-chamber all officials, stran- 
gers, and visitors, introducing at the ap- 
pointed time those who have complaints 
or representations to lay at the footstool 
of the throne. He is the alaka of all who 
have any boon to crave, and is in charge 
of the host of pages and younger sons of 
the nobility who attend upon the king — is 
in general master of the ceremonies on oc- 
casions of state or pageant, and introduces 
guests who may be invited to the banquet. 

The keys of the royal library are in the 
custody of the chief of the church, the 
Alaka Wolda Georgis, a layman and a 
soldier, who was elevated to the exalted 
post he occupies in direct violation of the 
established usage of the country. The 
office of chief smith and alaka of all the 
tabiban, " wise people," or handicraftsmen, 
throughout the realm, and of body physi- 
cian, are concentrated in the person of 
Ayto Habti, who must freely partake of all 
drugs that are to be administered to the 
king, and, with the commander-in-chief 
of the body-guard, the master of the horse, 
and the dwarf father-confessor, be in con- 
stant attendance upon his majesty. 

As well from religious as from worldly 
motives, Sahela Selassie entertains a vast 



number of pensioners, who receive dirgo, 
or daily rations, in various proportions — 
some being limited to dry bread, while 
others extend to mead, the greatest luxury 
which the country can afford. The dis- 
tribution of this maintenance comes exclu- 
sively within the province of the purveyor- 
general, the food being prepared in the 
royal kitchen by the numerous slaves, 
who, shame to the Christian monarch, 
compose the entire household establish- 
ment. All foreigners and visitors receive 
it, and, in addition to about one thousand 
of this class, there are many besides who 
possess the privilege of always dining at 
the royal table. 

Making munificent donations to churches 
and monasteries, the king stands in high 
odor with the fanatic clergy, and thus en- 
joys the advantage of their influence over 
the priest-ridden population, whom he rules 
principally through the church ; and, never 
undertaking any project without consult- 
ing some of its members, is in turn much 
swayed by their exhortations, prophecies, 
dreams, and visions. Strongly attached to 
the Christianity of Ethiopia, which abounds 
in Jewish prejudices, he is still far from 
being intolerant. According to the best of 
his uncultivated ideas he encourages let- 
ters, and spends considerable sums of 
money in collecting ancient manuscripts. 
Possessing natural talents and shrewdness, 
which have been improved by the rudi- 
ments of education, he rules his hereditary 
empire with the greatest tact and advan- 
tage ; and might, had his energies been 
properly directed, have shone one of the 
greatest potentates that ever wielded the 
sceptre in the now disorganized empire. 

Were the active life of Sahela Selassie 
guided by superior principles — could he be 
brought to despise petty things, and to sink 
the details of unimportant affairs in matters 
of the greatest moment — how wealthy and 
powerful a monarch might he not still be- 
come ! He would have time at command 
to plan truly royal projects ; and, possessed 
as he is of means the most ample, would 
find leisure to carry through his designs. 
Ambitious, ever making new conquests, 
and, like other rulers of Abyssinia, enter- 
taining no disinclination to be predominant, 
his mind is yet filled with trifles, and not 
sufficiently expanded to mature a plan of 
operations upon an extended scale. Pre- 
cluded by want of liberal education, or of 
intercourse with civilized nations, from 
calculating events, or looking deep into the 
page of futurity, he lives in fact for little 
beyond the present day. Ever busying 
himself with follies and devising paltry 



240 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



schemes of aggrandizement, he neglects 
matters of vital importance to the stability 
of his dominion. Old in constitution, 
though not in years — enfeebled by excess, 
as well in mind as in body — uncivilized — 
called early to the throne, and ruling du- 
ring a long succession of years according 
to one unvarying system — the dictates of 
his own caprice — he requires some violent 
impulse, some imminent and apparent peril 
to arouse him from the torpor of security, 
to stimulate his latent energies to greater 
exertion, and to induce him temporarily to 
sacrifice a portion of his idolized gold, in 
order to reap a harvest five hundred fold. 

From the merciful hand of this unique 
specimen of absolute authority, the sceptre 
falls lightly upon the head of the offender. 
" I have before mine eyes the fear of God, : ' 
is his frequent exclamation when passing 
the extreme sentence of the law. Guilty of 
none of the cruelties or enormities which 
stain most of the other rulers of Abyssinia 
— accessible, not easily offended, even tem- 
pered, patient in his investigations, mild 
and usually just in his despotism — he is 
universally adored in his own dominions, 
rather through love than through fear. 
The oath by the life of the king is the only 
binding obligation in the land ; and wise 
and warlike in his expeditions, he is feared 
and respected by all the adjacent tribes. 
Conducting himself with that easy freedom 
which generally distinguishes conscious 
superiority, his demeanor is dignified and 
commanding; and the appearance of the 
half-civilized Christian savage, who sways 
the destinies of millions in the heart of 
heathen Africa would proclaim his high 
descent even in the courts of Europe. 



CHAPTER XCV. 

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ROYAL HOUSE- 
HOLD. 

The hereditary provinces, at this day 
subject to the negoos of Shoa, are com- 
prised in a rectangular domain of one hun- 
dred and fifty by ninety miles, which area 
is traversed by five systems of mountains, 
whereof the culminating point divides the 
basin of the Nile from that of the Hawash. 
The Christian population of Shoa and Efat 
are estimated at one million of souls, and 
that of the Mohammadan and Pagan popu- 
lation of the numerous dependencies at a 
million and a half. Independent of the 
tribute in kind, the royal revenues are said 
to amount to about eighty or ninety thou- 



sand German crowns, accruing chiefly 
from import duties on slaves, foreign mer- 
chandise, and salt. The annual expenses 
of the state not exceeding ten thousand 
dollars, it is probable that his Christian 
majesty, during his long reign of nearly 
thirty years, must have amassed consid- 
erable treasure, which, whatever may be 
the amount, is carefully deposited under 
ground, and not lightly estimated by its 
possessor. 

Nearly in the centre of the kingdom pre- 
sides Zenama Work, "the golden rain," 
relict of Woosen Suggud, and mother of 
the reigning monarch. The seat of her 
government, it has already been said, is at 
Zalla Dingai, " the rolling stone ;" and she 
rules over nearly the whole of the north- 
west, or in fact over almost one half of the 
realm — appropriating in reversion to the 
crown the entire revenues of her dependent 
territories, and appointing her own gov- 
ernors with the royal approval. Judge in 
her own dominions, her decisions nev 
ertheless lie under appeal to the throne ; 
and even as queen-dowager, she is debar- 
red participation in certain privileges which 
form the exclusive prerogatives of her son, 
over whose mind she exerts an influence 
compared by the people of Shoa to that 
which they believe the holy Virgin to ex* 
ercise over the Redeemer. 

Long tired of the world and of its van- 
ities, the venerable lady has made numer- 
ous applications for permission to retire to 
a convent, and assume the veil, the royal 
entreaties to the contrary having alone de- 
layed the execution of the design. Many 
years barren, she sought the benediction 
of the wandering " Wato," and her nuptial 
couch being shortly crowned by the birth 
of Prince Menilek, the happy event was 
ascribed to necromantic intervention. Thus 
the tribe of the soothsayer is to this day 
left in peaceful occupation of its mountains 
on the bank of the wooded Hawash, while 
the destroying hand of the Amhara presses 
in wrath upon the head of the surrounding 
heathen. 

Four hundred governors, styled shoo- 
mant, are appointed under the crown of 
Shoa, and these with fifty abagasoch, or 
guardians of the frontier, literally "fathers 
of war," corresponding with the margraves 
of Germany in olden times, conduct the 
affairs of the kingdom and its dependen- 
cies. Some few of the appointments are 
hereditary ; but the majority are purchased 
by the highest bidder, and the tenure is at 
best extremely precarious. A governor on 
his appointment is invested with a silver 
sword as a badge of office, and is bound to 



GOVERNORS OF PROVINCES. 



241 



appear with his contingent of militia, when- 
soever summoned for military service. His 
grants are regulated by the amount of his 
levy ; and as he rises in the royal estima- 
tion, so he receives badges also for subor- 
dinates who may have distinguished them- 
selves by their zeal, activity, or valor. 

No courtier or great man can, after a 
long absence, approach the throne empty- 
handed. Thousands of stern warriors bend 
down with profound and slavish abasement 
before the fellow-mortal who presides over 
their sublunary destinies ; and even the 
nobles of the land twice prostrate them- 
selves, and kiss the dust in a manner the 
most abject and humiliating. All public 
officers make oblations from time to time 
in kind ; and the king is besides in the 
habit of requiring arbitrarily from those in 
charge of districts, tribute in honey, clari- 
fied butter, cloth, or whatever else he may 
happen to require. Weak, and at the same 
time cunning — suspicious of every one, 
and placing not the smallest confidence in 
any of his functionaries — he sometimes 
precipitates them from affluence into a 
dungeon, when they believe themselves in 
the enjoyment of the largest share of favor. 
Resolved to disgrace a nobleman, Sahela 
Selassie either sends for, or visits the 
doomed personage, treats him with marked 
kindness and condescension, in view to 
dispel alarm ; and embracing a favorable 
moment when no resistance can be offered, 
gives the flat to those in attendance to se- 
cure their prisoner. 

If not retained by fees and oblations, 
governments are constantly forfeited and 
resold. Frequent changes are also made 
with the design of counteracting collusion 
and rebellion. Although the power of the 
negoos is omnipotent, it is subdivided 
among all who execute his orders, and lit- 
tle despots arise in all the numerous gov- 
ernors of provinces — each actuated by the 
same desire of being the executor of his 
own supreme will. Still they bear a heavy 
responsibility ; and the slightest error in 
judgment, or, even in the absence of all 
delinquency, the mere whim of the mon- 
arch, may involve them in destruction 
when least anticipated. Accountable for 
every event, whether probable or improb- 
able, assiduity ;n the management of af- 
fairs does not always avail. Talents and 
bravery are sometimes displayed in vain, 
and the caprice of the despot may hurl the 
possessor of both from his high estate to 
the deepest ruin and disgrace. 

Armed with the delegated authority of 
the despot, each governor, enacting the 
autocrat in his own domains, fashions his 



habits and privileges after those of his 
royal master. His fields are cultivated in 
the same manner ; and he possesses the 
advantage of being able to extort from the 
inhabitants, for a very inadequate compen- 
sation in grain, many days of extra labor 
in each of the great agricultural opera- 
tions. A fluctuating tribute, regulated by 
his will and caprice, is exacted from all 
land-holders, in kind, to meet the demands 
of his majesty, who, in addition to an in- 
auguration fee of from four to six hundred 
dollars, is, unless voluntary offerings be 
frequently made, ever sending requisitions 
for live stock and farm produce. This 
system falls heavily upon all classes. A 
governor trusting to his own resources is 
speedily impoverished ; while he who taxes 
too roughly is certain to be stripped of au- 
thority and property, on representation 
made to the throne. 

But the Abyssinian is never loth to 
climb up again whence he has fallen ; and 
the humbled grandee, although impover- 
ished and shunned by the servile crowd, 
strives again to ingratiate himself with the 
sovereign — frequently succeeds by long 
and patient attendance, and once more 
girded with the silver sword of authority, 
he attains that perilous and giddy pinna- 
cle, where the weapon of destruction 
hangs over his head, suspended only by 
a single hair. 

The essence of despotism pervading the 
land to its very core, the negoos is the true 
God of its adoration. All the best portions 
of the soil pertain to his majesty, and the 
life as well as the property of every subject 
is at his sole and absolute disposal. Every 
act is. performed with some view to pro- 
mote his pleasure, and the subject waits on 
his sovereign will, for favor, preferment, 
and place. All appointments are at the 
king's disposal — all rewards and distinc- 
tions come from the king's hand. In years 
of famine food itself is alone to be obtained 
from the royal granaries ; and it is not 
therefore surprising that those over whom 
one so- absolute presides should be mean, 
servile, and cringing, and that they should, 
in their aspirations after power and place, 
mould every action of their life according 
to the despot's will. 

Concealment of any acquisition, how- 
soever small and valueless, is invariably 
visited with loss of office and confiscation 
of property. Gold forms the exclusive privi- 
1 ege of royalty. Personal ornaments and col- 
ored raiment have been hitherto restricted 
by the severest sumptuary laws, and none 
except the highest chiefs and warriors of 
the land were ever honored by an exemp- 



242 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tion from the rule. None, however, of these 
harsh prohibitions, which have existence 
under no other government in Abyssinia, 
owe their origin to the present reign, and 
all have been enforced during so many 
generations, that they are now little irk- 
some to the people. 

Shoa has hitherto stood exempt from the 
unceasing endeavors to acquire ascendency 
on the part of all the various chieftains 
who divide the sceptre in the north — allied 
to-day in bonds of the closest amity, the 
next arrayed in the most bitter animosity. 
Engaged in perpetual strife, the march of 
any one prince beyond the border of his 
own territories proves the signal to the 
nearest of his neighbors to carry fire and 
sword into the very heart of his undefend- 
ed domain ; but although torn by civil war 
from one extremity to the other, the bond 
of the ancient Ethiopic empire is still not 
entirely dissolved ; and notwithstanding 
that the " king of kings " has dwindled in- 
to the mere spectre of imperial dignity — is 
deposed and restored to the throne at the 
caprice of every predominant ruler — bis 
name at least is deemed essential to ren- 
der valid the title of ras, and through the 
latter, the government of all the dependent 
provinces of Abyssinia. 

But herein the king of Shoa forms an 
exception ; and fortunate it is for his maj- 
esty as well as for his dominions, that the 
surrounding Galla tribes, united with natu- 
ral defences, should have so completely 
shut him out from participation in the in- 
testine disturbances which have ravaged 
and laid waste every other province of this 
beautiful and once prosperous land. Al- 
though he propitiates the leader of every 
party, and pursues a conciliatory policy, it 
would be in his power to mediate with a 
high hand for the advantage of all ; yet is 
it curious to observe with what tenacity 
the Abyssinians adhere to preconceived 
opinions. The kingdom of Shoa, which 
was formerly a portion of the empire, still 
continues in general estimation to form an 
integral part thereof; and Sahela Selassie 
is therefore, but in name only, regarded as 
a vassal of the puppet emperor of Gondar, 
notwithstanding that he is, de facto, an in- 
dependent monarch. 



CHAPTER XCVI. 

GALLA DEPENDENCIES IN THE SOUTH. 

During the reign of Asfa Woosen, 
grandsire to Sahela Selassie, the independ- 
ent states of Shoa and Efat were of very 



inconsiderable extent. Morat, Morabeitie, 
Giddem, Bulga, and other districts now 
appended, were at that period distinct gov- 
ernments, as is now the case in Gurague, 
where there are more rulers than provinces. 
It is not therefore surprising, that amid the 
perpetual quarrels of the Christian princes, 
the surrounding Galla should have been 
left in undisturbed possession of the lands 
which they had wrested from Southern 
Abyssinia. But no sooner had Asfa Woo- 
sen subdued King Zeddoo, the son of Jesai- 
as, the son of Abisag, the son of Masamer, 
usurper of Morabeitie and Morat, with 
whom sank also those of inferior preten- 
sions, than he began with his united forces 
to make inroads upon the Galla tribes. 
The unsettled state of the newly-conquer- 
ed provinces, precluded extensive opera- 
tions ; and the task of reducing the Pagans 
to obedience was thus principally bequeath- 
ed to Woosen Suggud, whose strong arm 
not only kept in submission the territories 
conquered by his father, but added greatly 
to the western limits of Shoa by the acqui- 
sition of -Moogher on the Nile, and by the 
conquest of the Abidchu, Woberi, and Gil- 
Ian, so far south as the mountains of Garra 
Gorphoo. 

Conceiving that a youth who had scarce- 
ly numbered twelve years would be unable 
to hold them in subjection, the tributary 
Galla revolted immediately upon the acces- 
sion of Sahela Selassie. But subsequent 
events proved that they were mistaken in 
the estimate formed of the monarch's mili- 
tary capacity. He vanquished King Hai- 
loo, who still asserted his dignity in Morat. 
Having amassed fire-arms from Gondar and 
Tigre, as well as from the sea-coast of Ta- 
jura, he was enabled to quell many succes- 
sive insurrections, and for a number of 
years was fortunate in the fidelity of the 
lion-hearted Medoko, who was even more 
feared than himself by the surrounding 
Gentiles. He caused all the Galla of the 
province of Shoa-Meda to be circumcised 
and baptized ; and having commanded them 
to wear about their necks the " mateb" or 
cord of blue silk, to fast, and to eat neither 
with Mohammad ans nor Pagans, nor to 
touch meat that has not been killed in the 
name of the Trinity, they have thenceforth 
been denominated Christians. 

Throughout his long reign, it has been 
the king's favorite project to reunite the 
scattered remnants of Christian population 
which still mark the extent of the domin- 
ions of his forefathers. The countries to 
the south and southwest have therefore 
always received the largest share of his 
majesty's attention, and in those directions 



ANNUAL FORAYS— BLOOD FEUDS. 



243 



he has attacked and subdued in succession 
all the tribes on this side of the Hawash. 
The Metta, Metcha, Moolo Falada, Becho- 
Woreb, Becho-Foogook, and Charsa-Da- 
gha, are all appended to Shoa. Moreover, 
the royal arms have crossed the Hawash, 
and to a certain extent accomplished the 
reduction of the Soddo, of the frontiers of 
Gurague, of the Karaiyo, Loomi, Jille, and 
other remote clans. In the north little 
progress has been made, and many reverses 
have deterred further attempts upon the 
wild mountaineers ; but in the northeast 
the Selmi, the Aboti, and several other 
tribes previously independent, have been 
reduced to feudal submission, and by judi- 
cious management are made to secure the 
frontier from invasion. 

But although Sahela Selassie has thus 
widely extended the limits of his empire, 
he has adopted no efficient measures to 
consolidate his conquests. As a contrast 
between the former and the existing ad- 
ministration, it is said of the southern Gal- 
la, " where all was once strength, there is- 
now nothing save weakness. Of yore tri- 
bute was paid by all, whereas at the present j 
day the possession of the dependencies does 
but entail expense." Three annual expe- 
ditions made throughout a period of thirty 
years, for the purpose of collecting the 
revenues of the crown, have hitherto proved 
ineffectual to the preservation of perma- 
nent tranquillity among the tribes subju- 
gated by his ancestors ; and the Sertie 
lake, with other morasses, remain monu- 
ments of the dire disasters which sometimes 
attend his usually successful arms. He 
neither erects fortifications, nor does he 
establish outposts ; and the government 
being continued in heathen hands, the trib- 
utary tribes rebel during each rainy sea- 
son, only to be resubdued as soon as it is 
over — the insurgents often tendering their 
renewed allegiance the instant they per- 
ceive the crimson umbrellas of state, but 
more frequently delaying until the locust- 
like army of the Amhara has swept their 
fair fields, and like the devastating stream 
from the volcano, has left a smoking desert 
in its train. 

Chastised by two or three successful 
forays, the, chiefs and elders of the rebel- 
lious and ruined clan, finding the futility 
of further opposition to the yoke, come in 
with the tribute exacted, and make feudal 
submission, whereupon they are suffered to 
ransom their wives and daughters w T ho 
have been enslaved. It cannot fail to ap- 
pear extraordinary, that those who are un- 
prepared for resistance should occupy their 
beleaguered abodes one minute after they 



have become aware of the presence of their 
ruthless and implacable foes ; but in almost 
every instance they are in blood feud with 
all the surrounding tribes of their own na- 
tion, at whose merciless hands they would 
experience even worse treatment than at 
those of the Amhara. Neither, during 
persecution, could they hope to find an asy- 
lum among tributary neighbors, with whom 
they might perchance be on amicable 
terms, since their reception would inevita- 
bly entail on those who harbored the fugi- 
tives the last vengeance of the despot, 
Thus the choice is left between precarious 
flight to the mountain fastnesses, in the 
very teeth of the enemy, and the alterna- 
tive of lurking in the vicinity of the invaded 
hamlet, upon the slender chance of eluding 
the keen scent of the bloodhounds. 

The governor, or, in fact, the king of all 
the Galla now dependent on Shoa, is Abo- 
gaz Maretch, who resides at Wona-badera, 
south of Angollala. At first a bitter ene- 
my of Sahela Selassie, this haughty war- 
rior chief, renowned for his bravery, was 
finally gained over by bribes, and by prom- 
ises of distinction and advancement, which 
have actually been fulfilled. Partly by 
force, and partly by soft words and judi- 
cious intermarriages with chiefs of the va- 
rious tribes, he contrives to keep in some 
sort of order the wild spirits over whom he 
presides ; but he is taxed with want of 
proper severity, and although still high in 
favor, has more than once been suspected 
of divulging the royal projects. 

Abba Mooalle, the governor of Moogher 
and of the surrounding Galla in the west, 
was also formerly very inimical to Shoa ; 
but being won over to the royal interests 
by the espousal of his sister, by preferment 
to extensive power, and by the hand of one 
of the despotic princesses, he was four 
years since converted to Christianity, when 
the king became his sponsor. The valu- 
ble presents which he is enabled to make to 
the throne, owing to his proximity to the 
high caravan-road from the interior, pre- 
serve him a distinguished place in the esti- 
mation of the negoos, than whom he is 
little inferior in point of state. At constant 
war with the Galla occupying the country 
to the westward, between Sullala Moogher 
and Gojam, he hastily assembles his troops 
twice or thrice during the year, and making 
eagle-like descents across the Nile at the 
head of ten thousand cavalry, rarely fails 
to recruit the royal herds with a rich har- 
vest in cattle. 

Dogmo, who resides in the mountain of 
Yerrur, was educated in the palace ; and 
his undeviating attachment to the crown 



Ma 



244 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



has been rewarded with the hand of one 
of the king's illegitimate daughters. Botha, 
Shambo, and Dogmo, are the sons of Bun- 
nie, whose father, Borri, governed the en- 
tire tract styled Ghera Meder, " the coun- 
try on the left," which includes all the 
Galla tribes bordering on both sides of the 
Hawash in the south of Shoa. Bunnie 
was, in consequence of some transgression, 
imprisoned in Aramba ; and Botora, ano- 
ther potent Galla chieftain, appointed in his 
stead. But this impolitic transfer of power 
creating inveterate hatred between the two 
families, each strove to destroy the other. 
Bunnie was in consequence liberated, and 
restored to his government ; but resting 
incautiously under a tree on his return, 
not long afterward, from a successful ex- 
pedition against the Aroosi, whom he had 
defeated, he was suddenly surrounded by 
the enemy, and slain, together with four 
chiefs, his confederates, and nearly the 
whole of his followers. His sons were 
then severally invested with governments ; 
and Boku, the son of Botora, was at his 
father's demise intrusted with the preser- 
vation of the avenues to the lake Zooai, 
long an object of the royal ambition. 

Among the most powerful Galla chief- 
tains who own allegiance to Shoa, is Jhara, 
the son of Chamme, soi-disanl queen of 
Moolo Falada, who, since the demise of her 
husband, has governed that and other prov- 
inces adjacent. Sahela Selassie, who it 
•will be seen relies more upon political mar- 
riages than upon the force of arms, sent 
matrimonial overtures to this lady, and re- 
ceived for answer the haughty message, 
" that if he would spread the entire road 
from Angollala with rich carpets, she might 
perhaps listen to the proposal, but upon no 
other conditions !" The Christian lances 
poured over the land to avenge this insult 
offered to the monarch of Shoa, and the in- 
vaded tribe laid down their arms ; but Go- 
banah. foster-brother to Jhara, and a migh- 
ty man of renown, finding that his majesty 
proposed burning their hamlets without re- 
servation, rose to oppose the measure. At 
this critical moment an Amhara trumpeter 
raised his trombone to his lips. The Galla, 
believing the instrument to be none other 
than a musket, fled in consternation, and 
their doughty chieftain surrendered him- 
self a prisoner at discretion. 

Upon learning to whom he had relin- 
quished his liberty, Gobanah, broken-heart- 
ed, abandoned himself to despair, and re- 
fused all sustenance for many days. The 
hand of the fair daughter of the queen was 
eventually the price of his ransom ; and on 
the celebration of the nuptials, the king, 



who, with reference to his conquest of 
Moolo Falada, might have exclaimed, with 
the Roman dictator, " Veni vidi, vici" con- 
ferred upon Jhara the government of all 
the subjugated Galla as far as the sources 
of the Hawash, and to the Nile in the west. 
Warlike, daring, and ambitious, exercising 
his important functions almost beyond the 
ken of his sovereign, and possessing, from 
his proximity to Gojam and Damot, the 
means of creating himself the leader of a 
vast horde, there can be little, doubt, al- 
though he has hitherto evinced strong at- 
tachment to the crown, that, imitating the 
example of all Pagan chieftains who have 
gone before him, he will one day profit by 
his opportunities to take up arms against 
Shoa, and may thus be destined to enact a 
most conspicuous part in the history of 
the Galla nation. 



CHAPTER XCVII. 

THE GALLA NATION. 

Abyssinia had long maintained her glo- 
ry unsullied under an ancient line of em- 
perors, when, in the sixteenth century of 
the Christian era, the ambitious and for- 
midable Graan, at the head of a whole na- 
tion of Moslem barbarians, burst over the 
frontier, and dashed into atoms the struc- 
ture of two thousand five hundred years. 
Defended by hireling swords, which in a 
series of sanguinary conflicts wrested the 
victorious wreath from the brow of the in- 
vader, and since, supported rather by the 
memory of departed greatness than by ac- 
tual strength, small portions of the once 
vast empire have struggled on, the shadow 
only of imperial dignity. But the glory 
had departed from the house of Ethiop, her 
power had been prostrated before the migh- 
ty conqueror and his wild band ; and the 
Galla hordes, pouring flagrante bello into 
the richest provinces, from southern Cen- 
tral Africa, reerected heathen shrines du- 
ring the reign of anarchy, and rose and 
flourished on her ruins. 

The history of these African Tartars is, 
however, veiled in the deepest obscurity. 
Under the title of Oroma, they trace their 
origin to three sisters, daughters of Jeru- 
salem, to whom are applied traditions sim- 
ilar to the scriptural chronicle of the de- 
scendants of Lot. In their own language, 
the word "Galla" signifies ingressi; and 
of themselves they affirm that Wollaboo, 
their father, came from beyond Bargamo, 
" the great water ;" and that his children 



PAGAN INVADERS— SAVAGE PROPENSITIES. 



245 



were nine — Aroosi, Karaiyo, Jille, Abidchu, 
Gillan, Woberi, Metta, Gumbidchu, and 
Becho-Fugook — from whose loins have 
sprung the innumerable clans or houses 
which now people the greater portion of 
intra-tropical Africa. . But by the Moslem 
bigots, who form the chief curse of Ethio- 
pia, it is said that the term by which the 
nation is recognized was applied to the 
lima Oroma, or seed of Oroma, by the 
prophet himself, who, on sending to sum- 
mon Wollaboo to become a proselyte to the 
true faith, received a direct refusal. " Gal 
La," " he said No/' reported the unsuccess- 
ful messenger on his return. " Let this 
then be the denomination of the infidels 
in future," exclaimed the arch impostor, 
" since they will not receive the celestial 
revelations made through the angel Ga- 
briel." 

But whatever may be the origin of the 
heathen invaders, it is certain that, as a 
martial people, they have greatly degen- 
erated from their ancestors. United under 
one head, they overran the fairest provin- 
ces of Ethiopia ; and had they remained 
united, they might, with equal ease, have 
• completed the conquest of the greater por- 
tion of the African continent. Relaxing, 
however, in their common cause against 
the Christians, the tribes soon began to 
contest among each other for the posses- 
sion of the newly acquired territory. In- 
testine feuds and dissensions neutralized 
their giant power ; and the weakness and 
disorganization by which the majority are 
now characterized, is to be ascribed to the 
fact of there being no king in Israel. 

Roving in his native pastures, where his 
manners are unadulterated by the semi- 
civilization of Abyssinia, the equestrian 
Galla is an object worthy the pencil of 
Carle Vernet or Pinelli. Tall and athletic, 
his manly figure is enveloped in a toga, 
such as graced the sons of ancient Rome, 
and his savage, wild, and fiery features, 
are rendered still more ferocious by thick 
bushy hair arranged either in large lotus- 
leaved compartments, or streaming over 
the shoulders in long raven plaits. Grease 
and filth however form his delight ; and he 
sparkles under a liberal coat of the much- 
loved butter, which is unsparingly applied 
when proceeding to the perpetration of the 
most dastardly and inhuman deeds. Ac- 
coutred with spear, sword, and buckler, and 
wedded to the rude saddle, whereof he 
would seem to form a part, the Pagan 
scours fearlessly over the grassy savannas 
which he has usurped from the Christian, 
and is engaged in perpetual desultory strife 
with all his border neighbors. 



Possessing the finest breed of horses in 
Ethiopia, and wealthy both in flocks and 
herds, which roam over boundless meadows 
smiling with clover, trefoil, and buttercups, 
this pastoral people devote their time gen- 
erally to agricultural pursuits, and herein 
they are aided by a delightful climate, and 
by a luxuriant, well-watered soil. While 
the women tend the sheep and oxen in the 
field, and manage the industrious hive, the 
men plough, sow, and reap, presenting in 
this respect a striking contrast to their in- 
dolent lowland neighbors, the Ada'i'el, whom 
they rival in barbarous ferocity, in treach- 
ery, and in savage propensities. Rich and 
verdant valleys, the glory of the mountains,, 
and the pride of the proprietors, by the 
sweat of whose brow they have been cloth- 
ed with the most luxuriant crops, annually 
flourish, but too frequently to be swept from 
off the land by the sudden burst of war. 
Often is the cup of hope dashed from the 
lips when the enjoyment of the contents 
is deemed most certain, and the mangled 
corse of the husbandman is left on the bor- 
ders of the very field of which he was gar- 
nering in the ripe corn. 

Nor are the female portion of the Galla 
population less eminent in the equestrian 
art than their warlike lords, whose steeds 
it is their business to tend and saddle for 
the foray. Distinguished for their beauty 
among the dark daughters of Africa, their 
fine figures are slenderly attired in a short 
leathern petticoat, embroidered with a 
flounce of white cowry shells, and clasped 
around the waist by a zone of colored 
beads. A flowing cotton robe completes 
the toilet of the wealthy ; and the time of 
all is equally devoted to the braiding an 
infinity of minute tresses, falling over the 
shoulders after the manner of the ancient 
Egyptians. But their garments and their 
persons are unsparingly anointed with lard 
and butter ; and the romance which might 
otherwise attach to their native charms, 
cannot fail to be dispelled on near approach. 

The conically thatched cabins of the 
Galla are grouped in rural clusters, and 
uniformly surrounded by a stone wall as a 
precaution against surprise. The hamlet 
is often concealed amid the dark green 
groves of towering, cedar-like juniper, of 
which sombre forests grace the deep bro- 
ken ravine ; and through each rocky chan- 
nel tumbles the foaming cascade, to me- 
ander over the luxuriant pasture, redolent 
of aromatic herbs. Bees form a portion 
of the wealth of every family, and the 
flower-clothed meads, fostered by an Italian 
sky, are covered with them. The same 
whimsical customs which have been gene- 



246 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



rally practiced since the days of Virgil, 
are here extant. The same confused 
clamor is raised to induce the swarm to 
alight ; and the cylindrical hive having i 
been rubbed inside with the leaves of odor- 
iferous herbs to entice the wild insects to 
remain, it is suspended under the eaves of j 
the hut, and twice during the year robbed 
of the honey. 

To the performance of the religious rites 
of the pagan, a tree is indispensable, his 
devotions and his sacrifices being invaria- 
bly performed under the shadow of its 
boughs. On the interment of a priest, a 
sycamore or a coffee-tree, is planted over 
the grave, and held sacred for ever ; while 
on the banks of the Ha wash stands the 
venerable Woda Nuwee* to which the 
tribes flock from far and wide to make 
vows and propitiatory offerings, and to 
recount their exploits in war. Paying 
adoration onlv to stocks and stones, and 
bending the knee to none but idols and 
serpenfs, they here lavish votive oblations 
of butter and honey to secure the favor 
of the deity— hang upcm the spreading 
branches the revolting trophies taken from 
their enemies; and performing incanta- 
tions to Sar, the prince of the demons, 
bind around their necks the entrails of the 
slaughtered victim which has yielded aus- 
picious omens. 

Two great annual sacrifices are made 
to the deities Ogli and Ateti, the former 
between June and July, the latter in the 
beginning of September. A number of 
goats having been slain, the lubah, or 
priest, wearing a tuft of long hair on his 
crown, proceeds with a bell in his hand, 
and his brows encircled by a fillet of cop- 
per, to divine from the fat, caul, and en- 
trails, whether or not success will attend 
the warriors in battle. This point deter- 
mined, the assembled multitude, howling 
and screaming like demons, continue to 
surfeit themselves with raw meat, to swal- 
low beer, and to inhale smoke to intoxica- 
tion, until midnight — invoking Wak, the 
Supreme Being, to grant numerous pro- 
geny, lengthened years, and abundant 
crops, as well as to cause their spears to 
prevail over those of their foes ; and when 
sacrificing to Ateti, the goddess of fecun- 
dity, exclaiming frequently, "Lady, we 
commit ourselves unto thee; stay thou 
with us always." 

The kalicha is the Galla wizard, conju- 
rer, and physician. With the putrefying 
intestines of a goat hung about his neck, 



* Ficus sycamorus, the wild fig. It is called worjca, 
" the golden," by the Amhara, and attains a vast size. 



and armed with a bell and a copper whip, 
his skill in the expulsion of the devil is 
rarely known to fail. A serpent is propi- 
tiated, and the patient rubbed with butter, 
fumigated with potent herbs, and exorcised 
with°frantic howls, a few strokes of the 
lash being administered until the cure is 
perfected. No Amhara will slay either a 
lubah or a kalicha under any circumstances, 
from a superstitious dread of bis dying 
curse ; and Galla sorceresses are frequent- 
ly called in by the Christians of Shoa, to 
transfer sickness, or to rid the house of 
evil spirits, by cabalistic incantations, per- 
formed with" the blood of ginger-colored 
hens, and red he-goats. 

But among the Galla sorcerers and sooth- 
sayers, the Wato, already mentioned as in- 
habiting the mountain Dalacha, toward the 
sources of the Hawash, are the most uni- 
versally celebrated. Neither pagan nor 
Christian will molest this tribe, from the 
same superstitious apprehension of their 
malediction, and still more from a desire 
to obtain their blessing ; while he who re- • 
ceives the protection of a Wato, may travel 
with perfect security over every part of the 
country inhabited by the Galla. Subsist- 
ing entirely by the chase, they wander from 
lake to lake and from river to river, de- 
stroying the hippopotamus, upon the flesh 
of which animal they chiefly live— whereas 
no other heathen will touch it. Feared 
and respected, and claiming to themselves 
to be the original stock of the Oromo na- 
tion, they deem all other clans unclean 
from having mixed with Mohammadans 
and Christians ; and refusing on this ac- 
count to intermarry, remain to this day a 
separate and distinet people. 

All barbarians are orators ; and the eu- 
phonous language of the Galla, which 
unfortunately can boast of no written char- 
acter, is admirably adapted to embellish 
their eloquent and impressive delivery. 
Cradled in the unexplored heights of Ethio- 
pia, many of the customs of these fierce 
illiterate idolators are closely and remark- 
ably allied to those of the more civilized 
nations of antiquity. Seeking presages, 
like the Romans and Etrurians, in the 
flight of birds, and in the entrails of slaugh- 
tered sacrifices— wearing the hair braided 
like the ancient Egyptians, and, like them, 
sleeping with the head supported by a 
wooden crutch— wedding the relict of a 
deceased brother, according to the Mosaic 
law, and bowing the knee to the old serpent, 
whom they regard as the father of all man- 
kind — an acquaintance with these wild 
invaders suggests to the speculations of 
curiosity novel proofs of their origin when 



KINGDOM OF ENAREA— COFFEE AND CIVET. 



247 



referred to a common parent ; nor are these 
a little enhanced by the existence of a 
prophecy, that their hordes are one day 
to quit the highlands of their usurpation, 
and march to the east and to the north, 
• ; that they may conquer the inheritance of 
their Jewish ancestors." 



CHAPTER XCVIII. 

UNEXPLORED COUNTRIES TO THE SOUTH. 

Divided into endless houses, the ma- 
jority of the southern Oromo tribes, who 
boast independence of Shoa, are governed 
by hereditary chieftains ; and it is only 
where the Moslem slave-dealer has suc- 
cessfully commenced the work of conver- 
sion to the creed promulgated by the pro- 
phet, that this wild heathen race have 
been brought to bow the neck to the yoke 
of kings. Of this Enarea affords a most 
striking example, for there one half of the 
* entire population have abandoned idolatry, 
while despotism has taken root and flour- 
ishes under a line of Mohammadan rulers. 

Surrounded on all sides by lofty moun- 
tains, this kingdom embraces an extensive 
plateau of table land, which forms the sep- 
aration of the waters to the north and 
south, and must be among the most eleva- 
ted regions of Africa. Menchilla, stretch- 
ing from east to northwest, is the principal 
range, and a spur to the southwest is 
described as joining the so called moun- 
tains of the moon. Saka, the capital, con- 
tains from ten to twelve thousand inhabit- 
ants, mixed Pagans and Mohammadans, 
who inhabit houses of a circular form, 
somewhat better constructed than those of 
the Amhara. 

Sae^d was the son of Ascari, a Moham- 
madan, and his sister Elikkee wedding a 
Galla, bore a son Teso, who was brought 
up in heathenism, and conquered Enarea. 
His son B5k(i also died a Pagan ; but 
Bofo, " the serjj<?nt," who succeeded on 
the death of his father, was converted to 
the Islam faith by Mootar, his uncle, the 
nephew of Elikkee. Abba Bokibo, the 
present and fourth monarch, is represented 
to be just and merciful, but his ancestors 
were monstrous and relentless tyrants, 
who " caused rivers of blood to flow, and 
slew the people like cows." Arrayed in 
a black mantle of goat's hair, his majesty 
dispenses justice in the market-place, sit- 
ting on the trunk of a tree with a bullock's 
hide spread beneath his feet. Saka con- 
tains upward of one thousand moolahs; 



but in the absence of mosques, prayers 
are held at the tomb of Bofo, the first con- 
vert to the faith. Twice during each year 
great military expeditions are undertaken, 
which rarely extend beyond eight or ten 
days. Every soldier carries a small sup- 
ply of bread, and trusts for further subsist- 
ence to pillage and plunder. Many bloody 
battles are annually fought with the sur- 
rounding tribes, and wide tracts of country 
thus annexed to the royal possessions. 

The x\gallo, Yelloo, Betcho, Sudecha, 
Chora, and Nono, are all subject to the 
suppera, or king, of Enarea, whose sway 
extends to the Soddo, Metta, and Maleema 
Galla, about the sources of the Ha wash, 
which rises in Adda-Berga. Limmoo, 
whereof the capital is Sobitcha, is a prov- 
ince annexed of old to Enarea ; and Abba 
Bokibo, desirous of subjugating Gooderoo, 
and the countries to the north as far as 
the Nile, sent to propose an alliance with 
Dedjasmach Goshoo, the ruler of Gojam. 
" You sell slaves," was the reply of the 
Christian potentate, " and are a Moham- 
madan to boot. It cannot be." One hun- 
dred horns of civet and fifty female slaves 
which had been sent by the suppera, were 
nevertheless accepted, and thirty match- 
locks, with persons versed in the use of 
fire-arms, were forwarded in return. 

Little sickness of any sort prevails, and 
mendicants, the pest of Abyssinia, are said 
to be unknown in the land. The wild vine 
flourishes, and bears abundance of grapes. 
The " gosso" tree, which attains a vast 
height, is covered during the season with 
delicious berries, and is ascended by means 
of the tendrils of the vine bound around 
the stem. Coffee grows wild in every 
wood, to the height of eight and ten feet, 
and bends under the load of fruit. A large 
skinful is purchased for two-pence half- 
penny sterling, and the decoction, prepared 
as in Europe, is invariably presented to the 
stranger, as is an infusion of the "chaat," 
a coarse species of the tea-plant, which 
there flourishes spontaneously, but is cul- 
tivated in Shoa. 

The civet cat is a native of Enarea, and 
being caught in gins, is kept in the house 
and fed on meat and boiled maize. The 
cages are daily placed before the fire pre- 
paratory to the operation of removing the 
secretion, which is performed with a wood- 
en spoon. A lump about the size of a 
small filbert is yielded at each baking, and 
it forms a considerable article of export. 
Myrrh an 3 frankincense are also produced 
in great quantities, and are employed in 
religious ceremonies, burnt sacrifices of 
incense being made to the guardian genius. 



I 



248 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Notwithstanding the conversion to Mo- 
hammadanism of so large a portion of the 
population, sacrifices are still made to 
" Wak" on the festival of Hedar Michael, 
which, together with the Sabbath, is strict- 
ly observed by all the Galla tribes. The 
Woda tree is at Betcho ; no woman is suf- 
fered to come near it ; and under its sacred 
shade all priests are ordained — even the 
followers of the prophet placing blood 
upon it as a superstitious oblation. Thou- 
sands upon thousands of the heathen hav- 
ing assembled, the liibah sprinkles over 
the crowd first beer, then an amalgamation 
of unroasted coffee and butter, and, lastly, 
flour and butter mixed in a separate mess. 
A white bull is then slaughtered, and its 
blood scattered abroad to complete the 
ceremonies, which are followed by eating, 
drinking, and drunkenness. 

Zingero, which is visible from the high 
land of Enarea, was, until within the last 
two years, at constant war with the Galla 
states. Jimma and Limmoo uniting, then 
overran the country ; and having dethroned 
Amno Zermud, the occupant of the throne, 
annexed the ancient kingdom to the do- 
minions of Abba Bokibo. It is bounded 
on the south by a great river called the 
Gochob. Anger, the capital, is situated on 
the summit of a very high mountain ; and 
the whole country, which sinks to a much 
lower level, is rich and fertile. 

In days of yore, fourteen kingdoms are 
said to have been tributary to the sovereign 
of Zingero. The succession to the throne 
was determined from among the nobles, 
who, at the demise of the monarch, were 
wont to assemble in an open field, when he 
over whose head a bee or a vulture first 
chanced to fly was elected by the unani- 
mous voice of the people. Although no 
portion of the population professes the 
Christianity of Ethiopia, and none of its 
fasts are observed, the rite of circumcision 
is universal, and the Sabbath is respected, 
together with the Abyssinian festivals of 
Kidana Meherat, and St. Michael. 

Prior to the conquest of Zingero, no 
male slave was ever sold, a practice which 
is said to have originated in the conduct of 
one of the daughters of the land. A cer- 
tain king of old commanded a man of rank 
to slaughter his wife, her flesh having been 
prescribed by the sorcerers as the only 
cure for a malady wherewith his majesty 
was grievously afflicted. Returning to his 
house for the purpose of executing the 
royal mandate, the noble found his fair 
partner sleeping, and her beauty so dis- 
armed him, that his hand refused to perpe- 
trate the murderous deed. Hereat the 



despot waxing wroth, directed the lady to 
slay her husband, which she did without 
any remorse or hesitation, and thus brought 
odium upon the whole sex, who have since 
been considered fit only to become slaves 
and drudges. 

Immediately upon the birth of a male 
child the mammcc are amputated, from a 
belief that no warrior can possibly be brave 
who possesses them, and that they should 
belong only to women. This fact is fully 
corroborated in the person of the few pris- 
oners of war who reach the kingdom of 
Shoa. Since the overthrow of the ancient 
dynasty, the country has been ravaged for 
slaves by all the surrounding states, but 
few will deign to survive the loss of lib- 
erty ; and suicide is so frequent in captivi- 
ty, that the males are hardly considered 
worth the trouble of exporting. 

Human sacrifices have ever been, and 
still are, frightfully common in Zingero. 
When exporting slaves from that country, 
the merchant invariably throws the hand- 
somest female captive into the lake Umo, 
in form of a tribute or propitiatory offering 
to the genius of the water. It is the duty 
of a large portion of the population to bring 
their first-born as a sacrifice to the deity, 
a custom which tradition assigns to the 
advice of the sorcerers. In days of yore it 
is said that the seasons became jumbled. 
There was neither summer nor winter, and 
the fruits of the earth came not to maturity. 
Having assembled the magicians, the king 
commanded them to show how this state 
of things might best be rectified, and the 
rebellious seasons be reduced to order. The 
wise men counselled the cutting down of 
a certain great pillar of iron which stood 
before the gate of the capital, and the stock 
whereof remains to the present time. This 
had the effect desired ; but in order to pre- 
vent a relapse into the former chaos of 
confusion, the magi directed that the pillar, 
as well as the footstool of the throne, might 
be annually bathed in human blood ; in 
obedience to which a tribute was levied 
upon the first-born, who are immolated 
upon the spot. 

Of the independent Galla tribes lying 
immediately contiguous to Enarea, Goma, i 
under Abba Rek>, is the principal. This 
king is also a convert to Mohammadanism ; 
and the life of his father having been sav- 
ed by a vulture, which, according to the 
legend, plucked out the eyes of a host of 
Gentiles by whom the royal person was 
assailed, he retains a domesticated bird, 
which, with a tinkling bell around its neck, 
invariably accompanies the army on all 
predatory expeditions. At the termination 



CATARACTS OF DUMBARO— CAFFA. 



249 



of the first march Abba Rebo with his own 
royal hands slays a white bull, and if the 
wild vultures of the air join the trained 
bird in the repast, the omens are esteemed 
to be fortunate. 

The Mohammadan Galla tribes, those 
on the border especially, are uniformly the 
most savage and barbarous. The Alaba 
are dire monsters, and more dreaded than 
the wild beasts, whom they far exceed in 
ferocity. The cruelties practiced by the 
chief of the Goma are almost incredible. 
Offenders are deprived of hands, nose, and 
ears ; and their eyes having been seared 
with a hot iron, the mutilated victims are 
paraded through the market-place for the 
edification of the populace. The sight of 
all prisoners taken in war is similarly de- 
stroyed ; and a stone having been tied about 
the neck, they are thrown by hundreds in- 
to a river formerly styled Daama, but now 
denominated the Chuba, from a belief that 
its waters are composed solely of human 
blood. It rises in Utter Gudder, where 
is a tributary tribe called Mergo, subsist- 
ing entirely upon the chase of the elephant 
and wild buffalo. In Goma, the Moslem 
faith is universal. Every man is a war- 
rior ; and retaining a number of Shankela 
slaves to cultivate the ground, remains idle 
himself, unless when engaged in war, or in 
the chase. 

The Boono are a republican tribe of 
Pagans, bordering on Enarea, and who, 
acknowledging no king, are governed by 
a council of the elders. Inhabiting lofty 
mountains to which there is only one ac- 
cessible road, strongly fortified by nature 
and by art, none venture to invade this 
commonwealth, while the Boono make 
war with impunity upon all the surround- 
ing clans ; and, from their signal prowess 
in the field, are said to be propitiated even 
by the king of Enarea. 

Jimma and JVIancho are independent 
Galla tribes under Saana, surnames? Abba 
Juffar, from the title of his war-horse, 
which in Ethiopia is usually p^sumed by 
the chieftain. From Saka. a southerly 
course through these provinces leads, by 
fifteen or twenty easy stages, directly to 
the Gochob, above the cataracts ol Dum- 
baro, the neighborhood of which is infest- 
ed by banditti, who lie in ambush to kid- 
nap the unwary. The river is crossed by 
means of rafts belonging to the queen of 
Caffa. They are capable each of contain- 
ing from thirty to forty persons, and are 
formed of the trunks of large trees lashed 
together with strips of raw hide, and sur- 
rounded by high gunwales of the same 
construction— the helm being a moveable 
17 



spar, unaided by oars or other propelling 
power. 

Caffa is the mountainous peninsula form- 
ed by the junction of the Omo with the 
Gochob. It is an independent country of 
mixed Pagans and Christians, over whom 
presides Balee, the relict of King Hulla- 
loo. She is represented to be a young 
woman of extraordinary energy and abili- 
ty, very hospitable to the rovers who visit 
her with blue calico, beads, and trinkets, 
in return for which she gives cloth and oth- 
er produce of the country. On the demise 
of her husband she assembled all the gov- 
ernors of the different provinces, and hav- 
ing caused them to be put in irons, pro- 
claimed herself queen. Her only son Go- 
marra, " the hippopotamus," still a youth, 
leads the army into the field ; but she often 
proceeds with the troops in person, and in- 
variably plans the expedition. Whenso- 
ever she moves abroad, her subjects are 
bound to spread the way with their rai- 
ment ; and as well during the administra- 
tion of justice from behind a screen with 
a small aperture, as during the public ban- 
quet, drums, fiddles, and flutes play inces- 
santly. 

Nyhur, Moyey, Ziggahan, Boora, and 
Alera, are the principal towns of Caffa; 
and the entire rugged and mountainous 
country is covered with thi^k forests, 
which also clothe the banks of the Gochob, 
affording shelter to the elephant, the buffa- 
lo, the rhinoceros, and other wild beasts, 
in extraordinary numbers. The river is 
said to take its source in the distant prov- 
inces of Bedes Yedee and Goma, and be- 
low the cataracts abounds in hippopotami, 
which are much hunted by the natives. 
Dumb^ro, Wurretta, and Tufftee, as also 
the Golda negroes, who go perfectly naked, 
ars tributary to Balee, and pay chiefly in 
gold obtained from the hot valleys. The 
inhabitants of Caffa reverence Friday and 
Sunday, as do the Galla, and like them cel- 
ebrate the festival of St. Michael by a 
great feast ; but their language which is 
common to Gobo, Tufftee, and Dumbaro, 
is quite distinct from that spoken by the 
Galla nation. 

A considerable trade exists with Enarea 
in slaves and cotton cloths, which latter is 
to be purchased for a piece of salt value 
two pence halfpenny sterling. Coffee is 
produced in immense quantities, of the 
finest quality, and tradition points to this 
country as the first residence of the plant. 
It was spread by the civet cat over the 
mountains of the Ittoo and Aroosi Galla, 
where it has flourished for ages in wild 
profusion, and is thence said to have been 



250 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



transported five hundred years ago by an 
enterprising trader from the opposite coast 
of Arabia. 

I Beyond the extensive wilderness which 
bounds Caffa on the south, are the Doko, 
a pigmy and perfectly wild race, not ex- 
ceeding four feet in height, of a dark olive 
complexion, and in habits even more closely 
approximated to " the beasts that perish " 
than the bushmen of Southern Africa. 
They have neither idols, nor temples, nor 
sacred trees ; but possess a glimmering 
idea of a Supreme Being, to whom in mis- 
fortune — such as any of their relatives 
being slain by the kidnapper — they pray 
standing on their heads, with their feet 
resting against a tree : " Yere, if indeed 
thou art, why dost thou suffer us to be 
killed ? We are only eating ants, and ask 
neither food nor raiment. Thou hast rais- 
ed us up. Why dost thou cast us down ?" 

Many natives of Caffa and Enarea, who 
have visited these pigmies in their native 
wilds, for evil, describe the road from the 
former kingdom to pass through forests 
and mountains, for the most part uninhab- 
ited, and swarming with wild beasts, ele- 
phants and buffaloes especially. From 
Bonga, distant about fifty or sixty miles, it 
is ten days' journey to Tufrlee, the Orao 
river being crossed midway by a rude 
wooden bridge, sixty yards in breadth. 
Seven easy sUges beyond Tufftee is Koo- 
loo, whence the Doko country may be 
reached in one day. The climate is warm 
and the seasons extremely wet, the rains 
commencing in May, ana continuing with- 
out the slightest intermission until Feb- 
ruary. 

The country inhabited by the Doko is 
clothed with a dense forest of bamboo, in 
the depths of which the people construct 
their rude wigwams of bent canes and 
grass. They have no king, no laws, no 
arts, no arms ; possess neither flocks nor 
herds ; are not hunters, do not cultivate the 
soil, but subsist entirely upon fruits, roots, 
mice, serpents, reptiles, ants, and honey — 
both of which latter they lick like the bear 
from off their arms and hands. They be- 
guile serpents by whistling, and having 
torn them piecemeal with their long nails, 
devour them raw ; but although the forests 
abound with elephants, buffaloes, lions, and 
leopards, they have no means of destroying 
or entrapping them. A large tree called 
Loko is found, among many other species, 
attaining an extraordinary height, the roots 
of which, when scraped, are red, and serve 
for food. The yebo and meytee are the 
principal fruits ; and to obtain these, women 
as well as men ascend the trees like mon- 



keys, and in their quarrels and scrambles 
not unfrequently throw each other down 
from the branches. 

Both sexes go perfectly naked, and have 
thick pouting lips, diminutive eyes, and 
flat noses. The hair is not woolly, and in 
the females reaches to the shoulders. The 
men have no beard. The nails, never pared, 
grow both on the hands and feet like eagle's 
talons, and are employed in digging for 
ants. The people are ignorant of the use 
of fire. They perforate the ears in infancy 
with a pointed bamboo, so as to leave no- 
thing save the external cartilage, but they 
neither tattoo nor pierce the nose ; and the 
only ornament worn is a necklace com- 
posed of the spinal process of a serpent. 

Prolific, and breeding like wild beasts, 
the redundant population forms the wealth 
of the dealer in human flesh. Great an- 
nual slave hunts are undertaken from Dum- 
baro, Caffa, and Kooloo ; and the dense 
forests of bamboo, the creaking of which is 
represented to be loud and incessant, often 
prove the scene of fierce and bloody strug- 
gles between rival tribes. Wide tracts 
having been encircled, the band of rovers, 
converging, impel the denizens to the cen- 
tre. Holding a gay cloth before their per- 
sons, they dance and sing in a peculiar 
manner ; and the defenceless pigmies, 
aware from sad experience that all who at- 
tempt to escape will be ruthlessly hunted 
down, and perhaps slain, tamely approach, 
and suffer themselves to be blindfolded. 

One hundred merchants can thus kid- 
nap a thousand Dokos ; and although long 
prone to their old habits of digging for ants, 
and searching for mice, serpents, or lizards, 
the captives rarely attempt to escape. 
Their docility and usefulness, added to very 
limited wants, rendering them in high de- 
mand, none are ever sold out of the coun- 
tries bordering on the Gochob, and none 
therefore find their way to Shoa. 

Tht foregoing particulars have been 
embofled from the concurrent testimony 
of numerous individuals of various tribes, 
ages, and religions, who have either visit- 
ed or were natives of the countries referred 
to, and who, after attaining to manhood, 
had been borne away in slavery. Together 
with their own langMage they retained a 
perfect recollection oi the land of their 
birth, and of all that had befallen them 
since the loss of liberty — a loss by many 
dated from a very recent period, and which 
had resulted either from the lawless vio- 
lence of the freebooter, or from the unre- 
strained cupidity of mercenary relatives. 

Agreeing in every respect with the type 
of Herodotus, the Doko are unquestionably 



INDIAN OCEAN— KINGDOM OF KOOCHA. 



251 



the pigmies of the ancients, who describe 
them as found only in tropical Africa ; and 
it is a curious fact, and one well worthy of 
observation, that the people of Caffa repre- 
sent their forefather Boogazee to have is- 
sued from a cave in a forest — a tradition 
which cannot fail to call to mind the Trog- 
lodytes, who are also mentioned by the 
father of history as being inhabitants of 
this portion of the African continent. 



CHAPTER XCIX. 

THE RIVETt GOCHOB. 

An inspection of the map will show on 
the eastern coast an extensive hiatus, 
which from the scanty reports that have 
been gleaned is most certainly studded with 
high mountains, and drained by numerous 
and powerful rivers ; but no details have 
hitherto been obtained that justified the 
laying down of either with any geograph- 
ical accuracy. The first accounts of the 
existence in central Africa of a great river 
were brought to Etearchus, king of the 
Oasis of Ammon, by certain youths of the 
Nassamonians, who, as related by Herodo- 
tus, " had been deputed to explore her sol- 
itudes. After a journey of many days they 
were seized and carried into captivity by 
some men of dwarfish stature, who con- 
ducted them over marshy grounds, to a 
city in which all the inhabitants were of 
the same diminutive appearance, and of a 
black color. This city was washed by a 
great river, now ascertained to be the Ni- 
ger, which flowed from west to east, and 
abounded in crocodiles." 

The early Arabian geographers speci- 
fically mention large rivers descending from 
the high mountain land to the southward 
of the blue river, and flowing to the Indian 
ocean ; and it is a curious fact, that they 
designate one of these " the River of Pig- 
mies." The Portuguese were the next 
who spoke of this stream, upward of two 
centuries ago ; and from the highlands of 
Abyssinia a clue to its origin and course 
has now been obtained, which will serve 
in a great measure to supply the existing 
deficiencies, and to cover the wide space 
of terra incognita in Eastern Africa north 
of the equator. The Gochob is described 
to rise in the great central ridge which is 
known to divide the waters that discharge 
themselves east into the Indian Ocean, 
from those that flow west into the Bahr el 
Abiad, and more southerly into the Atlan- 
tic. Spreading into a lake, and bearing on 
osom a noble body of water, it is joined 
17* 



fifteen days' journey south of Enarea by 
the Omo, a large tributary which rises be- 
yond Tufftee in Susa Maketch — a fountain 
or jet of water playing the height of a spear 
shaft. Half a day's journey below the point 
of junction, the united volume rolls over a 
stupendous cataract called Dumba.ro, the 
roar of which can be heard many miles, 
whence pursuing its course to the south- 
east, it forms the southern limit of Zingero, 
and finally disembogues into the sea. 

There seems every reason to believe that 
the Gochob must be identical with the Kib- 
bee of the best extant maps, described to be 
a very large river coming from the north- 
west, and entering the sea near the town 
of Juba, immediately under the equator. 
If not the Kibbee, it must be the Quili- 
mancy, which disembogues by several es- 
tuaries between Patta and Malinda, four 
degrees farther to the south ; but the ac- 
counts of the latter, so far as it is known 
in its lower course, authorize the adoption 
of the first hypothesis. 

The general course of the Nile to the 
north, and of the Kibbee to the south, are 
said to have been well known to the Egyp- 
tians three thousand years ago. The sa- 
cristan of the temple of Minerva in Thebes 
told Herodotus that half the waters of the 
father of rivers ran to the north, and the 
other half to the south, and that they were 
produced by the tropical rains. The cur- 
rents experienced in five degrees north of 
the equator, in the vicinity of the coast, 
confirm the opinion of a great river rolling 
a vast volume of water into the eastern 
ocean. At their height during the preva- 
lence of the monsoon in August and Sep- 
tember, they are known to sweep a vessel 
along at the rate of one hundred and twenty 
miles a day, frequently exposing the inex- 
perienced navigator to the chance of ship- 
wreck on Socotra, whereas before and 
after the tropical rains the current is 
scarcely perceptible. Were this caused 
by the monsoon, it would prevail equally 
over these latitudes during the influence 
of the southwesterly winds ; but the fact 
remains, that it is felt only off the coast in 
about five degrees north latitude, at the 
period alone when the river must be Swol- 
len with the volume of water gathered from 
the highest mountain land in the interior. 

Beyond Zingero, and considerably lower 
down the great river, is the kingdom of 
Koocha, which is described to be hot, and 
subject to annual rains of two months' du- 
ration. It extends on both sides, with a 
numerous population inhabiting many large 
towns, of which Laade, Seylo, Umpho, 
Jella, Gulta, Aara, and Wunjo, all on the 



252 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



northern bank, are the principal. The 
houses are conical, and constructed of mud 
and bamboos, which there grow abundantly. 
All the nation are Galla, with features 
strictly those of the Negro, and their king 
is Bosha, the son of Laade, surnamed from 
the title of his war steed, Abba Wabotoo, 
M I am he who seizes." 

In addition to the two umbrellas of state, 
the one composed of blue, and the other of 
crimson, his majesty is distinguished by a 
shield covered with massive gold, and by 
many ornaments of the same precious 
metal on his person. The costume of all 
classes consists of party-colored raiment — 
red, blue, and white, being mingled togeth- 
er in profusion. Large pewter ear-rings 
are worn by the males ; and by the females, 
whose hair is braided in long ringlets, sil- 
ver amulets, anklets, and bracelets. Both 
sexes are great equestrians. The saddles 
are covered with red imported leather, and 
the horses and mules are large and abun- 
dant. Cultivation in every description of 
tropical grain is universal ; honey abounds 
in every quarter, and beer and hydromel 
are manufactured by all. 

Spices, odoriferous woods, and aromatic 
herbs, tea, coffee, oranges, nutmeg, and 
ginger, are exceedingly plentiful. Pre- 
cious stones are also found, and bartered 
to the white men, who, wearing shoes, 
trowsers, and hats, and having yellow hair, 
come with their merchandise in rowing- 
boats thirty days from the sea. They 
bring blue calico, chintz, pepper, tobacco, 
copper, cutlery, and " fire water," and re- 
ceive in exchange slaves, ivory, spices, 
and gold, which latter is brought in large 
quantities from Douro. 

Slaves being in great demand, and their 
acquisition extremely lucrative, Bosha is 
at perpetual war with all the surrounding 
tribes, save during the annual rains. The 
Dannagem, and the Danna-Oorkeshool 
Galla, are attacked every year, as are also 
the Malee Galla, a people armed with bows 
and arrows, who dig pits, throw up bam- 
boo stockades, and place pointed stakes in 
the ground to annoy the cavalry of Koocha, 
whose horses being kept in the house all 
the year round, and abundantly fed, are 
very superior. Murderers are punished 
according as they have dealt with their 
victim — one or two or more spear wounds 
or blows with the sword being inflicted by 
the nearest relative of the deceased — but 
all thieves, delinquents, and poor people, 
are sold to the white traders, and immense 
numbers of slaves of both sexes are brought 
down by the Douro Galla, in rafts with high 
gunwales, containing six or eight persons. 



The great river, which in this kingdom 
is supplied by two large tributaries — the 
Toreech, rising in the countiy of the Ga- 
ma Gobo, and the Teeto, coming from the 
Ara Galla — is the medium of all trade. It 
is very broad, and save during the rainy 
season has little perceptible motion. The 
volume of water is always large, and 
comes from a great distance inland. Hip- 
popotami and elephants abound ; and the 
gimjah, or tree tiger, which infests the 
borders, is greatly feared for its ferocity, 
and prized for the beauty of its skin. Na- 
tive crafts reach the sea in fifteen days, 
and ivory, slaves, coffee, and a variety of 
other merchandise, are constantly brought 
on rafts by the tribes higher up ; but the 
white people never go beyond Koocha, 
neither do the interior tribes pass down to 
the sea. 

The Gochob, of which the discovery 
promises important accessions in a geo- 
graphical as well as in a commercial point 
of view, may be conjectured the " Barga- 
mo," or great water, from beyond which 
the Galla describe their hordes to have 
poured, when they invaded Abyssinia, after 
being driven from the vast unexplored in- 
terior by the centrifugal force yet unex- 
plained. Like the barbarous nations who 
were made the weapons of Divine chas- 
tisement upon the corrupted empire of 
Rome, they also brought darkness and ig- 
norance in their train, but were unable to 
eradicate the true religion. Throughout 
the regions included between the Nile, the 
Hawash, and the Gochob, which may pro- 
perly be termed Galla, none but their own 
tongue is spoken ; whereas to the south 
of the last-named river, the intruding 
population have lost their language, and 
become gradually incorporated with the 
aboriginal possessors of the soil. What- 
ever may be the true magnitude of the 
river, it is clearly navigated to a consider- 
able extent by a white people, who reap a 
lucrative harvest while draining the coun- 
try of its population, by a traffic which 
must reflect the blackest disgrace upon 
the name of any civilized people, and is 
here not rendered the less infamous by 
the fact, that many of their purchases are 
Christians ! 



CHAPTER C. 

EXISTING CHRISTIAN REMNANTS. 

On both sides of the river Gochob, there 
exists in various quarters, isolated com- 
munities professing the Christianity of Ethi- 



LAKE ZOOAI-KINGDOM OF SUSA. 



253 



opia, who for a long period of years have 
successfully held their position among the 
mountain fastnesses in the very heart of 
the now Pagan and Mohammadan country. 
One of the most remarkable of these seats 
is in the lake Zooai,* where in the church 
of Emanuel are deposited the holy arks, 
umbrellas, drums, gold and silver chairs, 
and other furniture belonging to all the sa- 
cred edifices of Southern Abyssinia ; which, 
with numerous manuscripts no longer ex- 
tant, were here deposited by Nebla Den- 
gel at the period of Graan ? s invasion. 

Five rivers empty themselves into this 
lake. It is described to be a noble sheet 
of water teeming with hippopotami, which 
frequently destroy the frail bamboo rafts 
employed in maintaining communication 
"between the shore and the Five Islands-! 
These are covered with lofty trees, and 
contain upward of three thousand Chris- 
tian houses, constructed of lime and stone. 
In religion the population are said by the 
clergy of Shoa to have sadly degenerated ; 
but although destitute of priests, the 
churches are preserved inviolate, and 
monks and monasteries abound. 

In Gurague, the population are almost 
exclusively Christian. Twelve isolated 
churches, previously unheard of, were dis- 
covered a few years since, on the conquest 
of Yeya by Sahela Selassie ; and between 
Garro and Metcha, where the forest com- 
mences in the south of Shoa, is a small 
tract peopled by Christians, who reside en- 
tirely in caves among the mountains, as a 
measure of security against the heathen, 
by whom they are compassed in on every 
side. 

Eight days' journey from Aimellele on 
the frontier of Gurague, is Cambat, a 
small mountainous province, lying due east 
of Zingero. With the exception of a few 
Mohammadan rovers, this independent 
state is inhabited solely by Christians, who 
have fifteen churches, and numerous mon- 
asteries, but, like the people of Zooai, are 
without priests. The capital, Karempza, 
is constructed on the summit of a lofty hill 
of the same name, and Degoyey, the king, 
who is extremely advanced in years, is 
represented as a just and upright ruler, 
very hospitable to strangers, and a great 
warrior. But between Aimellele, which 
is a dependency of Sahela Selassie, and 
Cambat, the road passes through the Adeea 
and Alaba Galla, the latter governed by a 



* Called Laki in the Galla language, and in that of 
Sturagufe, Chilldloo. 

t Tudduchu, Debra Tehoon, Debra Seena, Guragi, 
%nd Amshoot. 



queen, whose notorious treachery renders 
the passage unsafe. 

Wollamo is another Christian province 
under an independent sovereign, lying be- 
low Cambat, to the southeastward of Zin- 
gero, and at constant war with both these 
states. The country is extremely moun- 
tainous, and the inhabitants, who are pur- 
chased for twenty pieces of salt, and fre- 
quently brought by the slave-dealers to 
Shoa, are of a fair complexion, and speak a 
distinct language. Wofana is the capital, 
and the province is watered by a consider- 
able river termed the Ooma — the surround- 
ing tribes being the Koolloo, Woradda, 
Assoo, and Jimma. Eight days' journey be- 
yond Zingero is the country of Mager, the 
king of which, by name Degaie, is repre- 
sented to be a very powerful monarch. 
Korchassie, which is famous for the great 
river Wabi, is peopled by Christians, as is 
Sidama also, and both are surrounded on 
all sides by the heathen. 

But of all the isolated remnants of the 
ancient Ethiopic empire to the south of 
Abyssinia, Susa would appear to be the 
most important and the most powerful. 
This kingdom is situated beyond Caffa, and 
extends to the head of the Gitche, which 
rises in Chara-Nara, and is one of the 
principal sources of the Gochob-. The 
rains are violent during three months of 
the year, and the climate is excessively 
cold, the elevation being much greater 
than that of Shoa, while beyond are moun- 
tains which " seem to touch the skies, and 
are covered with perpetual snow." 

Sugga Surroo was king over Susa. He 
was a Pagan ; but wore a " mateb," as 
many of the heathen tribes are wont to do. 
Hoti and Beddoo were his sons ; and on 
his death-bed he bequeathed the sceptre to 
the former, who, after a reign of ten years 
marked by the most galling tyranny, was 
deposed by the people, and Beddoo eleva- . 
ted to the throne. Turning his attention 
to Christianity, which had greatly degen- 
erated, he revived the custom of bathing 
the holy cross on Christmas-day, in the 
river Gitche, where all the surrounding 
Galla tribes perform the same ceremony 
without knowing why. 

Hoti was exiled in Goma ; and having 
contrived to raise three hundred cavalry, 
he set out to recover his throne ; but was 
pursued and slain by Abba Rebo. Beddoo 
is brother to Balee, the queen of Caffa ; 
and it is now six yer.rs since he gave his 
daughter Shash in marriage to the king of 
Enarea, through whose country a constant 
traffic has since been carried on with 
Northern Abyssinia — ^numbers of muskets 



^ 



254 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



and matchlocks being annually imported, 
and exchanged for civet, ivory, gold-dust, 
horses, and slaves. 

The road being thus opened, the priests 
proceeded to Gondar to the patriarch of the 
Abyssinian church, who blew the breath 
of the Holy Ghost into a leathern bag, 
which was safely conveyed back to Susa, 
and hung up in the cathedral. Ecclesi- 
astics in great numbers have been since 
ordained by the process of opening this 
bag, and causing a puff to pass across his 
face. They are distinguished by antique 
robes and silver mitres, and the churches 
and religious observances would appear to 
be similar in every respect to those of 
Shoa. 

The king of Susa is described as a tall, 
fair, and very handsome man of five-and- 
thirty, without beard or mustaches, and 
wearing the hair in the bushy wig-like 
form of the Amhara. He carries state 
umbrellas of yellow silk, surmounted by 
golden globes, wears a sword with a mas- 
sive golden scabbard, and bears a shield 
decorated with radii and crosses of the 
pure metal. The government is not des- 
potic. No subject can be put to death un- 
less condemned by the judges. Property 
is free ; and there is no restriction upon 
dress save in the article of gold, to wear 
which is the exclusive privilege of royalty. 

Bonga is the principal town and capital 
of Susa ; and there the king principally 
resides, in a stone house of two stories. 
His queen is Meytee, but he has besides 
" concubines as numerous as the hairs of 
the head." The banqueting hall is a long 
building similar to those of Sahela Selas- 
sie, and it is the scene of similar revels. 
His majesty presides daily at the feast, but 
is concealed from the gaze of his carous- 
ing subjects by an intervening curtain, 
while the dech agafari, styled " Gubbur- 
chu," acts as the master of ceremonies. 
Public audience is daily given, when the 
decisions of the judges are confirmed or 
annulled from a raised throne of solid gold 
concealed by velvet draperies. 

Susa is a kingdom of much greater ex- 
tent than Shoa, but in manners and cus- 
toms nearly similar. The monarch is ap- 
proached with shoulders iared, and three 
prostrations to the earth. On the festival 
of Maskal an annual review takes place at 
Booretta. Oxen are then slain for the 
soldiery, and each warrior receives a jar 
of beer from the royal cellars. The herald 
then proclaims the approaching expedition 
to the sound of the nugareet. The foray 
resembles that of the Amhara rabble — the 
same lack of discipline on the march — the 



same band of flutes and kettledrums — the 
same female culinary establishment. The 
warriors are similarly armed, and adopt the 
green sprig of asparagus in token of deeds 
of blood ; and the only existing difference 
would appear to be, that the booty captured 
in war is not monopolized by the crown. 

Tribute is paid to Beddoo by the chiefs 
of many surrounding countries, and prin- 
cipally by Shankelas with tattooed breasts. 
He annually extends his dominions by mur- 
derous inroads, directed chiefly against the 
Sooroo, a tribe of naked negroes inhabiting 
the wild valleys of Sasa. The Gumroo, a 
wild people clothed in hides, and rich in 
flocks and herds, are also frequently in- 
vaded, and hundreds swept into captivity. 
The chief mountain ranges of Susa are 
Decha, Gobo, and Saadee ; and the princi- 
pal rivers are the Gitche, Cheso, and Adiyo. 
Large slave caravans pass through the 
realm at all seasons from the most remote 
parts of the interior, the Mohammadan ro- 
vers being frequently absent from one to 
two years. 

The costume of the male portion of the 
population consists of a robe of striped red 
and blue cotton in alternate bands, with 
tight trowsers and a loose kilt of the same 
colors and material. The hair is worn en 
" goferi" as in Shoa, unless after the 
slaughter of a foe, when it is braided in 
long tresses like the ancient Egyptians. 
Copper and ivory bracelets decorate the 
successful warrior ; and a ring of silver is 
worn in the ear by those who have slain 
the giant among mammalia. 

The females are described as being fairer 
and more comely than their frail sisters of 
Shoa. They wear red and blue striped 
trowsers, reaching mid-leg, with a loose 
shift and a robe, also party-colored, the for- 
mer inclosed by a zone of beads. The 
hair is dressed, like that of the Amhara, in 
the shape of a bee-hive, with minute row* 
of elaborate curls ; but the odor of rancid 
butter with which these are clotted is some- 
what alleviated by the liberal application 
of oil of cloves. 

Marriage is celebrated without the In- 
tervention of the priesthood, and polygamy 
is universally exercised at the discretion 
of the man according to his worldly sub- 
stance. The contracting parties simply 
pledge fidelity, and in event of subsequent 
separation, the lady carries off her portion. 
Every house possesses its slaves ; but those 
-both of king and subject are permitted to 
work for themselves one day out of the 
seven. All occupation is interdicted on 
the Sabbath, as well as on the festivals of 



RAW FLESH DIET— PUNISHMENT OF THEFT. 



255 



Gabriel, Michael, and Georgis, which are 
the only saints' days observed in Susa. 

The language spoken is quite distinct 
from that of the Galla, from the Amharic, 
and from the ancient Geez or Ethiopic. 
It possesses a written character. The 
houses are constructed upon a circular 
plan of wattle and thatch. All classes are 
warriors, well mounted, and frequently en- 
gaged in the chase — large packs of dogs 
being kept for the purpose of hunting the 
rhinoceros, buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, 
giraffe, zebra, and ostrich, which with many 
other animals new to natural history are 
said to abound. Bridles are manufactured 
of the skin of the hippopotamus, with which 
the rivers teem, and numbers of them are 
slain by the wandering Wato. 

Raw flesh, eaten with pepper, butter, 
and wheaten bread, forms the principal diet. 
Edible fruits are abundant. Citrons, nut- 
megs, ginger, coffee, and. tea, grow wild 
over the whole country. The two latter 
are taken by the Christians of Susa, as is 
also snuff; but tobacco is not inhaled. 
The grape vine is indigenous and exten- 
sively cultivated ; and the Outoo, the Gond- 
weiyo, and the Goddo, are described as aro- 
matic trees, of which the flowers, possess- 
ing the richest perfume, are dried, pulver- 
ized, and amalgamated with civet — the cats 
producing which are kept in every house, 
fed on raw beef, and placed before the fire, 
as in Enarea. 

Among the manifold superstitions of the 
people of Susa, a new knife, before being 
used for cutting meat, must be blown upon 
by the priest. Witchcraft has a firm hold 
upon every mind ; and many a luckless 
worker in iron is with his whole family 
condemned to be burnt alive in his house, 
as an atonement for evil deeds. Theft is 
punished by sewing up the culprit in a 
green hide, when he is suspended by the 
heels in the market-place, with the stolen 
property about his neck, until the contrac- 
tion of the drying skin at length puts a 
period to his sufferings — a refinement this 
upon the cruelty of the Emperor Maximin. 

Making due allowance for the supersti- 
tion and geographical ignorance of the va- 
rious natives from whom the foregoing par- 
ticulars have been collected, the fullest 
credit may be accorded — minute cross- 
examinations of individuals who could have 
held no previous communication with each 
other having corroborated every point. It 
is important to know thatthe Gochob, in its 
upper course, is occupied by so powerful a 
Christian people, whose sovereign exer- 
cises over the destinies of the surrounding 
Gentiles an influence which, if properly di- 



rected, could be made to check the rapid 
spread of Islamism, instead of fostering the 
traffic in human beings. The extensive 
wilderness beyond Susa may be concluded 
to form the barrier between the unfruitful 
land of Nigritia and the fair provinces oc- 
cupying the most elevated regions of Afri- 
ca. Seneca relates that two centurions, 
who were sent by Nero Caesar to explore 
the head of the Nile were recommended by 
the king of Ethiopia to the nearest kings 
beyond ; and that after a long journey they 
came " even unto the further countries, to 
immense morasses, the end of which nei- 
ther the natives themselves did know, nor 
anybody else may hope to find." 



CHAPTER CI. 

THE CONVERSION OF ETHIOPIA. 

In the year 330 after the birth of our 
Saviour, Meropius, a merchant of Tyre, 
having undertaken a commercial voyage 
to India, landed on the coast of Ethiopia, 
where he was murdered by the barbarians, 
and his two sons, Frumentius and Edesius, 
both devout men, being made prisoners, 
were carried as slaves before the emperor. 
The abilities, the information, and the 
peaceable demeanor of the brothers, soon 
gained not only their release, but high office 
in the court ; and living in the full confi- 
dence of the monarch until his decease, 
and subsequently under the protection of 
the queen-mother, the good will of the en- 
tire nation quickly succeeded. The work 
of conversion was commenced, and pro- 
ceeding with wonderful rapidity and suc- 
cess, a thriving branch was shortly added 
to the great Eastern church. 

Bearing the happy tidings, Frumentius 
appeared in Alexandria, and was received 
with open arms by the patriarch Athana- 
sius. Loaded with honors, and consecra- 
ted the first bishop of Ethiopia, a relation 
was thus happily commenced with Egypt, 
which has remained firm and friendly to 
the present day, and throughout fifteen 
centuries has bestowed upon a Coptish 
priest the high office of patriarch aboon* 
of the Ethiopic church. 

On his return to the country of his hopes*, 
Frumentius found that the spark of life 
had spread rapidly throughout the gloomy- 
darkness of the land. Baptism was insti- 
tuted, deacons and presbyters appointed, 
churches erected, and a firm foundation 

laid whereon to establish the Christian re- 

_^_^___— — — » 

* i. e. " Our Father." 



256 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ligion in Abyssinia. Frumentius was de- 
servedly honored with a favored niche in 
the annals of her church history, and, un- 
der the title of " Salama," formed the sub- 
ject of high praise to all the sacred poets 

of Ethiopia. 

^^ 

" Hail him with the voice of joy, sing praises to Salama, 
The door of pity and of mercy and of pleasant grace ; 
Salute those blessed hands bearing the pure torch of 

the Gospel, 
For the splendor of Christ's church has enlightened 

our darkness." 

During the succeeding century, priests 
and apostles, men of wonderful sanctity, 
flocked into the empire from all parts of 
the East, and miracles the most stupendous 
are related in the legends of those days. 
Mountains were removed, and the storms 
of the angry ocean stilled by the mere ap- 
plication of the staff. The adder and the 
basilisk glided harmless underfoot, and 
rivers stayed their roaring torrent, that the 
sandal of the holy man should remain un- 
stained by the flood. Aragawi raised the 
dead — the fingers of Likanos flamed like 
tapers of fire — Samuel rode upon his lion ; 
and thus the kingdom of Arvve, the old ser- 
pent of Ethiop, was utterly overthrown. 

The Abyssinians now rose to the scale 
of subtle casuists and disputants. Ab- 
struse doctrines were propounded, and 
speculative theories largely indulged in ; 
and the generation passed away ere the 
knotty points had been satisfactorily de- 
termined, how long Adam remained in 
Paradise before his fall ? and whether in 
his present state he held dominion over 
the angels ? 

In the year 481, the celebrated council 
of Chalcedon lighted up the torch of mis- 
understanding regarding the two nations 
of Christ. The Eastern church split and 
separated in mortal feud, and the Saracen 
pounced upon Egypt, rent and wasted by 
discord and distraction. The Abyssinians, 
denouncing the council a meeting of fools, 
concurred in the opinion of the Alexan- 
drian patriarch. The faith of the Mono- 
physite was declared to be the one only 
true and orthodox, and the banished Dios- 
corus received all the honors of a martyr. 

" The kings of the earth divided the unity of God and 

man. 
Sing praises to the martyr who laughed their religion 

to scorn. 
He was treated with indignity, they plucked out his 

flowing beard, 
Yea, and tore the teeth from his venerable face , 
But in heaven a halo of honor shall encircle Diosco- 

rus." 

But during the ensuing oppressions and 
enactions of the Moslem, the successors of 
St. Mark could barely retain his own exist- 
ence in Egypt ; and Ethiopia, his remote 



charge, now nearly isolated from the remain- 
der of the world, rested for the next ten cen- 
turies a sealed book to European history, 
preserving her independence from all for- 
eign yoke, and guarding in safety the flame 
of that faith, which she had inherited from 
her fathers. 

The reign of the ascetics succeeded to 
that of disputation, and men lacerated their 
bodies, and lived in holes and caves of the 
earth like wild beasts. Tekla Haimanot 
and Eustathius were the great founders of 
monkery in the land. An angel announced 
the birth of one, and the other floated over 
the sea, borne in safety amid the folds of 
his leathern garment. Miracles still con- 
tinued to be occasionally performed. Sanc- 
tity was further enhanced by mortification 
of the flesh, and austerity of life was highly 
praised and followed by the admiring mob. 
The original discipline of the anchorite 
was severe in the extreme. He was to be 
continually girt about the loins with heavy 
chains, or to remain for days immersed in 
the cold mountain stream — to recline upon 
the bare earth, and to subsist upon a scanty 
vegetable diet. 

Monasteries were at length founded, and 
fields and revenues set apart for the con- 
venience of their inmates ; and although a 
visiting superior was appointed to check 
corruption and punish innovation or trans- 
gression, the asperities of the monastic life 
gradually softened down. The Etchegue* 
preferred the comforts of a settled abode to 
wearisome tours and visitations. Fur- 
ther immunities were granted to all loving 
a life of ease and spiritual license ; and the 
commonwealth had to deplore the loss of 
a large portion of her subjects w r ho neither 
contributed tax, nor assisted in military 
service. > 

Thus converted at the very dawn of 
Christianity, Ethiopia spread her new reli- 
gion deep into the recesses of heathen 
Africa. Extending her wide empire on 
every side, the praise of the Redeemer soon 
arose from the wildest valleys and the most 
secluded mountains. From the great river 
Gochob to the frontiers of Nubia, the crutch 
and the cowl pervaded the land. Churches 
were erected in every convenient spot ; , 
and the blue badge of nominal Christianity 
encircled the necks of an ignorant multi- 
tude. The usual wars and rebellions arose, 
and schisms and sects fill up the archives 
of ten centuries with all the uninteresting 
precision of more civilized countries. But 
still the church flourished ; the patriarch 
was regularly received from Alexandria, 



* Grand prior of all the monasteries in Ethiopia. 



SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY. 



257. 



and a long list of ninety-five aboons flows 
quietly through the dull pages of Abyssin- 
ian record, from the time of Frumentius 
the First, until the days of the venerable 
Simeon, who, while gallantly defending the 
faith of his fathers, was barbarously mur- 
dered by the European partisans of the 
Italian Jesuit. 

The rise of the Mohammadan power in 
Arabia, and the rapid spread of Islamism, 
first circumscribed the limits of the empire, 
and begirt it round with foes. But although 
the nation was now called upon to repel 
the fierce assaults both of the heathen and 
of the fanatic followers of the false pro- 
phet, the measure of her oppression Was 
not filled until the cup had been deeply 
drained of the converting zeal of European 
priesthood. The usual horrors attendant 
upon religious war was then painfully un- 
dergone, and the blood of her children was 
unsparingly poured out. Nearest and dear- 
est relatives rallied under opposite stand- 
ards ; and the same cry of destruction ran 
from either host, " The glory of the true 
faith." 

The zeal of the Jesuit has seldom been 
displayed in more glowing colors, or in 
more decided defeat, than in the attempts 
so perseveringly made to draw within the 
meshes of the net the remote church of 
Ethiopia. And although the means em- 
ployed are to be justly condemned, still that 
ardor must be the theme of the high praise 
of all, which impelled old men and young 
to dare the difficulties and the dangers of 
a rude uncivilized land, with exposure to 
the prejudices of a people as bigoted as 
themselves in the cause of their religion. 

But the wily system of establishing rival 
orders and monasteries of mortification — 
of snapping asunder domestic ties, and of 
collecting together bands of discontented 
enthusiasts — well served the interests of 
the Catholic faith ; and there were always 
to be found obedient servants to bear in- 
structions to the farthest corners of the 
earth ; men who relinquished few comforts 
or enjoyments on quitting their austere 
cells, who were prepared at all hazards, 
and in all manners, to carry into execution 
the will of their superiors, and who gloried 
in the alternative of erecting an eternal 
fabric in honor of their order, or of obtain- 
ing the resplendent crown of martyrdom. 

The custom of ages had however struck 
too deeply into the heart of the Abyssinian. 
The power of the officiating clergy was 
paramount in the land. All the passions 
and the prejudices of the multitude were 
too firmly enlisted in the cause of ancient 
belief; and degraded as was the Christian- 



ity of the country, its forms and tenets 
were not more absurd, and not less perti- 
naciously supported, than those Romish 
innovations which were so fiercely, though 
so ineffectually, attempted. 

The soft wily speech and the thunder of 
excommunication were alike disregarded. 
Treachery and force were both tried and 
found equally unavailing. Blood flowed 
for a season like the swollen torrent, and 
the sound of wailing was heard from the 
palace to the peasant's hut ; but the storm 
expended itself, and finally passed away ; 
and after the struggle of a century, the 
discomfited monks relinquished their at- 
tempts upon the church of the Monophy- 
site, without leaving behind one solitary 
convert to their faith, and bearing along 
with them the loud maledictions of a much 
injured nation. 



CHAPTER CII. 

' EFFORTS OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. 

During the darkness of the middle ages, 
the church of Abyssinia had fallen into 
complete oblivion ; but about the com- 
mencement of the sixteenth century ru- 
mors were whispered abroad of a Christian 
monarch and a Christian nation establish 
ed in the centre of Africa ; and the happy 
news was first brought to the court of Por- 
tugal that a Christian church still existed, 
which had for ages successfully resisted, 
among the lofty mountains of Abyssinia, 
the fierce attacks of the sanguinary Sara- 
cen. 

In the year 1499, Pedro Covilham suc- 
ceeded in reaching Shoa, where he was 
received with that favor which novelty 
usually secures ; and although the stran- 
ger was prevented by the ancient laws of 
the kingdom from leaving the land, the 
quest had been successfully performed. 
The first link was reestablished of a chain 
which had been broken for ages — and 
shortly afterward the glorious Prester John 
and his Christian court were fully dis- 
closed, to abate the intense anxiety that 
reigned in the heart of every inhabitant of 
the West. 

In due process of time an Abyssinian 
embassador made his appearance in Por- 
tugal. Unbounded delight was experienced 
by King Emanuel and his court, and every 
honor was lavished upon Matthew the 
merchant of Shoa. All believed that the 
Abyssinians were devout Catholics, and 



358 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



that a vast empire, estimated at four times 
its actual extent, was about to fall under 
the dominion of the Roman church. A 
mission on a great scale was fitted out — 
the journey was safely accomplished — and 
excited fancy rioted for a time in the des- 
scription of palaces and fountains which 
never existed, and pomp, riches, and re- 
gal power, utterly unknown in the land. 

Missions continued from either court 
during the succeeding forty years. An 
alliance was formed. Men learned in the 
arts and sciences were dispatched to set- 
tle in Abyssinia. Zaga Zaba arrived in 
Lisbon, invested with full powers to satis- 
fy the interests of both countries, tempo- 
ral as well as spiritual. But the difference 
of faith was now for the first time under- 
stood. The bitter enmity of the Roman 
creed stood prominently to view ; and the 
envoy, after studying the details of the 
Catholic doctrine, and refusing to sub- 
scribe a similar contract on behalf of his 
church, was unscrupulously put to a vio- 
lent death in a Portuguese prison. 

The first flattering ideas regarding the 
religion of the country being thus found 
erroneous, the delusion respecting the ex- 
tent and power of the mighty empire was 
next to fall to the ground. The Gal la 
were now streaming in hordes from the 
interior, and Graan, the Mohammadan in- 
vader carrying fire and sword with his ar- 
my throughout the country. The dying 
Coptish patriarch of Abyssinia was pre- 
vailed upon to nominate as his successor 
John Bermudez, a resident Portuguese ; 
and the Romish priest, hurried by the king, 
proceeded to seek immediate military as- 
sistance from the courts of Rome and 
Lisbon. 

Schemes of ambition flitted over the 
minds of the first conquerors of India, and 
an alliance with Ethiopia seemed highly 
desirable as a handle for further acquisition 
in the east. But dilatory measures delay- 
ed the arrival of the Portuguese fleet un- 
til the suing monarch had been gathered 
to his fathers ; and it has already been 
seen that Christopher, the son of the fa- 
mous Vasco de Gama, anchored in the 
harbor of Massowah at a time when the 
new Emperor Claudius was sorely pressed 
to sustain himself upon the throne of his 
ancestors. The opportunity was not neg- 
lected by the archbishop to reduce the 
heretic church to the fold of the Roman 
see ; and a series of attempts were com- 
menced, equally to be deplored from the 
mischief which they created, and the un- 
worthy means that were employed during 
the struggle. 



The signal service rendered by the Por- 
tuguese troops during the ensuing wars, 
the total rout of the Galla and the Moslem, 
with the slaughter of their invading leader 
in battle, placed Bermudez in a position to 
demand high terms from the reinstated 
monarch. The conversion of the empe- 
ror to the Roman Catholic faith and the 
possession of one-third of the kingdom, 
were imperiously proposed, and scornfully 
rejected. Excommunication was threat- 
ened by the proud prelate of the west and 
utterly disregarded by King Claudius, who 
retorted, that the pope himself was a her- 
etic. Open hostilities broke out ; and al- 
though the superior discipline of the Eu- 
ropeans for a time gave them the advantage, 
they were at. length separated by a wily 
stratagem, and hurried to different. quarters 
of the kingdom ; and Bermudez being 
seized, was conveyed in honorable exile 
to the rugged mountains of Efat. 

Although much blood and considerable 
treasure had been thus fruitlessly expend- 
ed, the conversion of Ethiopia was far from 
being forgotten in Europe ; and the spark 
of hope was further kept alive by an Abys- 
sinian priest, who asserted, on his arrival 
in Rome, that the failure of Bermudez had 
entirely arisen from his own absurd and 
brutal conduct, and f hat the utmost defer- 
ence would be paid to men of sense and 
capacity. Ignatius Loyola volunteered to 
repair in person to reunite the Ethiopic 
and Roman Catholic churches ; but his 
talents being required for more important 
objects, the pope refused the desired per- 
mission to the great founder of the society 
of Jesus, and thirteen missionaries from 
the new order were chosen instead. Nu- 
nez Baretto was elevated to the dignity of 
patriarch, and Andre Oviedo appointed pro- 
visional successor. 

At that period the navigation of the Red 
Sea was rendered dangerous by numerous 
Saracen fleets ; and the patriarch, deeming 
it inexpedient to hazard his own valuable 
person in the perils of the voyage, reposed 
quietly at Goa, while a deputation headed 
by Gonsalvez Rodrigues, a priest of sec- 
ondary rank, was dispatched in advance, 
to ascertain the capabilities of the route, 
and the sentiments of the reigning mon- 
arch. 

The Emperor Claudius little relished the 
arrival of these monks, and Rodrigues en- 
tirely failed in every attempt at conviction 
on the points at issue — that the pope, as 
representative of Christ upon earth, was 
the true head of all Christians, and that 
there was no salvation out of the pale of 
the Catholic church. Dismissed with the 



ANDRE OVIEDO— PUBLIC CONTROVERSY. 



259 



reply that the people of Ethiopia would 
not lightly abandon the faith of their fore- 
fathers, the monk retired to work upon the 
mind of the monarch by the brilliancy of 
his controversial writing; but a lengthy 
treatise on the true faith produced no hap- 
py result, and the envoy, disgusted with 
his reception, returned shortly afterward 
to Goa. 

The spiritual conclave was plunged into 
consternation by the untoward intelligence ; 
and after much mature deliberation, it was 
resolved, that the dignity of the patriarch, 
and of the great king of Portugal, could 
not be exposed to the consequences attend- 
ing the ill favor of the emperor of Abys- 
sinia ; and that therefore the prelate should 
still remain the guest of the bishop of Ni- 
cea, while the daring and restless Oviedo, 
with a small train of attendants, attempted 
the business. 

Arriving in safety,the Jesuit experienced 
a most friendly reception from the Emperor 
Claudius ; and although the letters of rec- 
ommendation from the pope were received 
with mistrust and impatience, the habitual 
mildness of the monarch restrained him 
from any overt act of oppression. Deceived 
by this calm behavior, the bishop, during 
a second audience, was sufficiently fool- 
hardy to represent, in the most insolent 
language, the enormous errors under which 
the emperor labored, and to demand impe- 
ratively whether or not he intended to sub- 
mit himself to the authority of the succes- 
sor of St. Peter, and thus remove the heavy 
obligation under which his empire already 
groaned. King Claudius replied that he 
was well inclined toward the Portuguese 
nation — that he would grant lands and set- 
tlements in his country — that permission 
would not be withheld to the private exer- 
cise of the religion of the West ; but that 
as the Abyssinian church had been for ages 
united to the charge of the patriarch of 
Alexandria, a subject of such serious alter- 
ation must be canvassed before a full as- 
sembly of divines. 

Indignant at what he termed Ethiopian 
perfidy, but still buoyed up with the faint 
hope of realizing his object, Oviedo changed 
his mode of attack, and addressed a labored 
remonstrance to the monarch, written in 
the hypocritical tone of false friendship, 
earnestly entreating him to recall to his 
remembrance the assistance rendered by 
Europeans to his afflicted country, and the 
many promises made by his sire in the day 
of his urgent distress ; imploring him at 
the same time to preserve a stern vigilance 
upon the evil influence of the empress and 
of the ministers of state : " for in matters 



of faith, the love of kindred must give way 
to the love of Christ ; and in similar situa- 
tions, the nearest relation often proves the 
bitterest enemy to the salvation of the soul." 

This insidious reasoning was, however, 
vainly expended upon the intelligent Clau- 
dius, and served but to turn his heart far- 
ther from the Roman and his cause. The 
offer of a public controversy on points of 
disputed faith being shortly afterward ac- 
cepted, the emperor entered the lists in 
presence of the assembled court, and by 
his clear knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; 
utterly defeated the subtilties of the Italian 
priest ; and thus, notwithstanding the con- 
viction of the Portuguese missionary that, 
by supernatural aid, he had triumphantly 
refuted all the arguments urged by his il- 
lustrious antagonist, it was fully decreed 
by the Abyssinian conference, that neither 
king nor people owed any obligation or 
obedience whatsoever to the church of 
Rome. 

Still Oviedo was far from being reduced 
(to silence. Treatise after treatise was 
published on the controversy, to confound 
the minds of the Ethiopians. The errors 
of the Alexandrian faith w T ere fiercely at- 
tacked in every form and fashion ; and the 
superior beauties of the Catholic religion 
fully expounded. But no advantage re- 
sulted. Rejoinders and confutations fol- 
lowed fast from the insulted clergy ; and 
the bishop, furious at the thoughts of his 
futile exertions to gain a footing in the 
country — entertaining no hope of making 
one single convert, whether among prince 
or people — resolved upon a last effort in 
the struggle. On the fifth of February, 
1559, he issued his spiritual ban over the 
land, proclaiming that the entire nation of 
Abyssinia, high and low, learned and igno- 
rant, having refused to obey the church of 
Rome — practicing the unholy rite of cir- 
cumcision — scrupling to eat the flesh of 
the hog and the hare — and indulging in 
many other flagrant enormities — were de- 
livered over to the judgment of the spirit- 
ual court, to be punished in person and 
goods, in public and in private, by every 
means the faithful could devise. 

But the folly of issuing this curious re- 
script without any means of enforcement 
was fully appreciated ; and the tyrranical 
conduct of the bishop did but serve to 
strengthen the emperor in the bonds of his 
own faith, finding, as was observed by an 
historian of the times, " that popery and 
its wiles were the more dangerous and re- 
prehensible, as the veil was withdrawn 
from before the spirit of her tenets." 

There is every reason to believe that the 



260 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA, 



succeeding invasion of the Ada'i'el was pro- 
cured through the treacherous design of 
the Jesuits, but the event again proved dis- 
astrous to their cause. Although the re- 
venge of the baffled bishop was allayed in 
a torrent of blood, yet the death of the 
mild, moderate, and liberal Claudius, who 
perished on the battle-field, shed a baneful 
influence on their ensuing efforts ; and the 
sceptre devolved into the hands of his bro- 
ther Adam, a haughty and vindictive prince, 
who is depicted in Portuguese records as 
" cruel and hard of heart, and utterly in- 
sensible to the beauteous mysteries of the 
Catholic faith." 

Swearing vengeance against the Latins, 
to whose treason he attributed the murder 
of his brother, and the ruin of his country, 
the new monarch seized all the estates 
which had been granted to the Portuguese 
for rendered service, and threatened the 
bishop and his colleagues with instantane- 
ous death if they presumed to propagate 
the errors of the Romish church ; and on 
a humble remonstrance being attempted, in 
the violence of his wrath, he rushed upon 
the missionary with a drawn sword, vow- 
ing to immolate him on the spot. " The 
weapon, however," say the holy fathers, 
" dropped miraculously from his impious 
hand," and for a season the last extremity 
of vengeance was exchanged for a system 
of vile, durance. 

Portuguese troops in the mean time ar- 
rived from Goa, and the bahr negash, " the 
lord of the sea-coast," bought over by the 
gold of India, and stirred up by the wily 
emissaries of the viceroy, assembled his 
forces in rebellion. Marching with his 
European allies to the capital, he defeated 
and slew the emperor in a pitched battle, 
and rescued the Jesuit missionaries from 
their unpleasant captivity. 

Warned by former difficulty and distress, 
the worthy fathers now assumed a more 
modest and humble demeanor, and were al- 
lowed to settle again in their old haunt of 
Maiguagua, where they remained for a 
time unmolested by the new emperor Ma- 
lek Sashed, who inherited all the horror of 
his father to the Catholic creed, although 
tempered by the mildness of his uncle 
Claudius. But the jealous monks had not 
yet relinquished their hope of advancement, 
and bending to the pressure of the times, the 
deep plot was veiled under the garb of pas- 
sive obedience. The most pressing solici- 
tations were dispatched to Goa for assist- 
ance ; and the dauntless Oviedo pledged 
himself with six hundred stanch Europe- 
ans to convert, not only the empire of 
Abyssinia, but all the countries adjacent. 



The scheme, however, did not suit the 
politics of the day ; and in 1560, the bishop 
received an order from the head of his so- 
ciety to repair forthwith to his more prom- 
ising charge in Japan. Loth to abandon 
all his favorite projects of ambition in the 
country, and utterly reckless of truth, he 
addressed the most specious letters to the 
pope, holding out a certain prospect of 
prostrating the church of Ethiopia before 
the apostolic throne, while to his immedi- 
ate superior he dilated upon the richness 
of the land, and the mines of pure gold 
which he falsely asserted to exist in every 
province of the kingdom. But his artful 
motives were thoroughly pierced by the 
more wily successor of St. Peter; and 
vessels soon after arrived on the coast of 
Africa, to convey the reluctant fathers to 
the monastery of St. Xavier, in Goa. 



CHAPTER CIII. 

THE RELIGIOUS WAR. 

Miserable indeed appeared the chance 
of conversion ; and after a fierce struggle 
of thirty years, there remained not one 
priest of the Romish faith to administer 
the sacraments to the numerous European 
settlers and descendants in the country. 
Even the Jesuits themselves lost heart for 
the time ; but the zeal of Philip the Sec- 
ond stirred the dying embers, and fresh 
candidates for strife, honor, and martyr- 
dom, were soon in the field. 

Peter Pero Pays and Antonio de Mont- 
zerado, disguised as Armenian merchants, 
first attempted the perilous undertaking ; 
but being wrecked upon the Arabian coast, 
they were recognized as Christian minis- 
ters, and languished during seven years 
in a Moslem dungeon. 

Goa next poured forth her priests to the 
ineffectual contest. In seeking the prom- 
ised land, Abraham de Georgis was dis- 
covered in Turkish garb on the island of 
Massowah, and the governor swore by the 
holy prophet that, since the kafir had 
donned the attire of the true believer, he 
should also adopt the tenets of the true 
faith, or die the death of a dog. But the 
Jesuit clung to his creed, and suffered ac- 
cordingly ; and, shortly afterward, Jean 
Baptiste being detected in assumed cos- 
tume, by the Turks of Comera, he also 
shared the same fate as his immediate 
predecessor, in the thorny path of martyr- 
dom. 

Thus even the road itself seemed *> 



PETER PAYS— THE REBELLION. 



261 



close, and all intercourse was denied with 
a country wherein the presence of Euro- 
peans was neither desired nor permitted ; 
and which would have been suffered to re- 
main unmolested, had not ideas been in- 
flamed by the exaggerated accounts of its 
wealth that still pervaded the imagination 
of all classes throughout the western 
world. 

Don Alexis de Menezez, the zealous 
Archbishop of Goa, who had already with 
fire and sword propagated Christianity 
throughout Malabar, now entered the lists, 
and his sagacious and discerning mind 
selected the vicar of St. Anne as a fit 
tool for the execution of his project. Mel- 
chior Sylva, a converted Brahmin, might 
from his color and language, pass through 
the Turkish wicket. His zeal was great 
as that of his superior, and the valuable 
presents whereof he was made the bearer, 
might prove a bait sufficiently tempting to 
lure the simple Abyssinian into a fresh 
connection. 

The intelligence of his safe arrival, and 
of the gracious reception of the presents, 
again roused the ardent spirit of the order 
of Jesus ; and Peter Pays was quickly 
ransomed from the Arabs, and dispatched 
with a full train of priests to Ethiopia, 
where he arrived in September of the 
year 1603. 

Superior in every respect to his prede- 
cessors, this missionary, instead of attempt- 
ing to carry his measures by force and 
overbearing insolence, sought the softer 
path of insinuation ; and while his exten- 
sive knowledge and plausible address 
proved strong recommendations in his fa- 
vor, many circumstances also conspired to 
forward his views. The country was in a 
most unsettled state, and the assistance of 
a few Portuguese troops could turn the 
scale of war. The condition of the church 
was low and miserable. Eighty years of 
incessant strife and distraction had crush- 
ed the very name of learning and literature. 
Few persons were to be found who could 
read, write, or dispute. Ignorant and un- 
worthy men filled every sacred office ; and 
the ancient stout defenders of the Alex- 
andrian faith had been swept away on the 
battle-field. 

Amid wars, and rumors of wars, Peter 
quietly settled with his followers at Mai- 
guagua. Schools were opened, and the 
wonder ran through the land that youths 
of tender age could refute the most learn- 
ed sages of the wilderness of Walkayet. 
The curiosity of Za Dengel, the tempo- 
rary occupant of the throne, was excited, 



and Peter and his erudite pupils was sum- 
moned to the court. 

Prompted by the hope of obtaining as- 
sistance from Portugal, this weak prince, 
under an oath of secrecy, immediately em- 
braced the religion of his guest. But his 
time was fully occupied in the more world- 
ly object of strengthening himself upon a 
throne to which he had been elevated by 
his evil genius ; and the falling away from 
the faith of his forefathers being at length 
whispered abroad, a rebellion was the con- 
sequence. 

The approaching storm having been 
perceived by the monk, he withdrew from 
court before the burst of a revolution, 
which for some time crushed his every 
hope of success. The emperor was slain. 
New aspirants strove for the ascendency ; 
and war reigned for a season throughout 
the entire land. 

Confident in the near approach of Por- 
tuguese troops, which had been requested 
when Sylva carried to India the tidings of 
the first conversion, Peter now resolved 
upon the bold game of espousing the 
weaker party, and thus gaining a firmer 
hold in event of success. The expected 
reinforcements did not, however, arrive in 
time ; and the defeat and death of his pro- 
tege was followed by the advancement of 
the pretender Susneus to the throne of the 
empire. 

Notwithstanding his appearance as a de- 
clared partisan in the opposing ranks, 
Peter's abilities as an architect now created 
a fresh diversion in his favor. The novel 
idea of a two-storied edifice engrossed the 
thoughts of the reigning king ; and men 
flocked from the remotest parts of the 
country to gaze upon a fabric of stone, 
which was considered to be one of the 
wonders of the world. A missionary pos- 
sessing the varied abilities and acquire- 
ments of Pays could not be long in gain- 
ing ascendency over a rude and illiterate 
monarch ; and by address and perseve- 
rance he had soon effected that which the 
threats and violence of his predecessors 
had vainly attempted during a long course 
of years. 

Ras Cella Christos, brother to the em- 
peror, was the first fruit of the harvest. 
Partaking of the holy supper with the Lat- 
ins, he publicly embraced their religion, 
and many chiefs and nobles followed his 
illustrious example. Crowded assemblies 
were held, in which the eloquence of the 
Jesuits entirely bore down the feeble ef- 
forts of the ignorant and uncultivated na- 
tives. The holiness of life which was 
strictly preserved among the neophytes 



262 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



and proselytes of the Catholics, added to 
the impression entertained of their wisdom, 
and the introduction of useful arts, raised 
the glory of the fathers still higher in the 
land ; and the prospect of the aid of disci- 
plined soldiers from the west overturned 
the last remaining scruple in the mind of 
the monarch. 

An edict was published interdicting all 
persons from holding office who were not 
well inclined toward the Latin religion ; 
and severe punishments were threatened 
for the promulgation of ancient doctrines. 
Assistance was solicited from Rome and 
Lisbon ; and the work of European perse- 
cution favorably commenced, by scourging 
with whips all those stubborn monks who 
refused to forego their ancient belief. 

Abba Simeon, the aboon, repaired to the 
court to remonstrate with the emperor on 
the scandalous interference with his pre- 
rogatives in convening meetings and au- 
thorizing debates upon ecclesiastical mat- 
ters ; but his pride was timely soothed by 
the royal assurance that all had been un- 
dertaken for the benefit of true religion, 
and that the subject should be fully dis- 
cussed in his own presence. Again the 
subtilties and dialectic of the missionaries 
prevailed ; and the total defeat of the aboon 
and his clergy was followed by a second 
more severe ordinance, awarding the pen- 
alty of death to all who should henceforth 
deny the two natures of Christ. 

Wonderful was the sensation created by 
this severe edict, so diametrically at vari- 
ance with the mild spirit of religion, and 
with all the ancient usages of the land. 
Aware of the fe lings of the strong party 
at court, as well as of the entire body of 
the people, the aboon placarded on the 
doors of the chapels an excommunication 
of all who should accept the religion of the 
Franks ; and the monarch, irritated by this 
resistance, published a manifesto, "That 
his subjects should forthwith embrace the 
Catholic faith." 

This served as the signal trumpet for 
the fight. All classes armed themselves 
in defence of their religion ; and iElius, 
the king's son-in-law, placed himself at the 
head of the malcontents in Tigre. 

Not yet thoroughly prepared for the 
struggle, the emperor found it convenient 
for a time to temporize, and requested one 
further debate, which was to prove final 
between the disputants. The mild aboon 
listened to the proposal, and accompanied 
by a large train of monks appeared in the 
Toyal camp, while the Jesuit and his col- 
leagues advanced into the arena from the 
opposite side. The controversy was re- 



newed, and raged fiercely for six days ; 
but disputes in religion are seldom adjusted 
by the reasoning of the doctors, and the 
parties withdrew mutually incensed against 
each other. 

One further effort was made to restore 
the disturbed harmony. The Empress 
Hamilmala, and many of the courtiers, 
with tears implored the king to desist from 
his undertaking ; and the patriarch and 
the clergy, throwing themselves prostrate 
on the earth, embraced his knees, and en- 
treated him to turn a deaf ear to the poison- 
ous insinuations of the deceitful Jesuits, 
and graciously to allow his subjects to re- 
main faithful to the religion of their fore- 
fathers. But the heart of the monarch 
remained closed to the prayer. The aboon 
quitted the court, plunged into the deepest 
distress, and a bloody war ensued which 
shook the empire to its foundation. 

When iElius fully understood the last 
resolution taken by his father-in-law, to 
defend the Catholics and their religion, he 
publicly appealed to the people of Tigre, 
and proclaimed that all who were disposed 
to embrace the Jesuitical faith might re- 
pair to the deluded emperor, while those 
who held to the ancient belief should forth- 
with gather under his standard. Finding 
himself shortly afterward at the head of a 
large army, he marched toward the royal 
camp, resolved to establish the received 
doctrine of the land, or to perish in the 
attempt. 

Abba Simeon, who had attained the 
venerable age of one hundred years, joined 
the army of the defenders of the Alexan- 
drian faith ; and in giving them his patri- 
archal blessing, assured the soldiery that 
all who should fall in the combat died the 
death of the martyr, and would receive the 
reward in heaven. The desired effect 
was produced, and the hearts of the entire 
force burned with one eager zeal to meet 
the accursed enemies of their religion. 

On the appearance of the inflamed force 
a reconciliation was attempted, and the 
daughter of the emperor was made the 
bearer of terms to her rebel lord. Her 
tears and entreaties were, however, totally 
disregarded. The impetuous youth pre-i 
pared for instant attack ; and the princess! 
had barely time to regain her father's tent, 
when hostilities were commenced. 

The soldiers of the viceroy rushed furi- 
ously upon the royal encampment, and 
^Elius succeeded in forcing his way, at the 
head of a small body of troops, to the veqjfl 
pavilion of his father-in-law. But he was 
here struck from his horse by a stone, and 
stabbed upon the ground. A panic seized 



FALL OF JOANEL— THE DEVOTED MONKS. 



263 



the army of the fallen leader, and the rab- 
ble, casting away their arms, fled in all 
directions. 

The aged aboon found himself alone 
and deserted, in the same spot which he 
had occupied during the attack. His years 
and high clerical bearing disarmed the vio- 
lence of the Abyssinian soldiery; but a 
Portuguese partisan at length threw him- 
self upon the patriarch, and, regardless of 
his white and venerable hairs, transfixed 
him with a spear. A frightful massacre 
ensued ; and the heads of the principal 
leaders of the unsuccessful rebellion were 
exposed on the gates of the capital, as a 
bloody warning to the seditious. 



CHAPTER CIV. 

TEMPORARY SUBMISSION TO THE POPE OF 
ROME. 

Strengthened by this signal victory, 
other points of the Alexandrian creed were 
attacked in succession ; and the time of 
the Jesuits was fully occupied in the trans- 
lation into Ethiopic of sundry dogmatical 
treatises on subjects of disputed faith. But 
the barbarism of the language was despi- 
sed by most — the Latin interpolation ab- 
horred as magic by all — and a furious paper 
controversy raged for a time ; until the 
Abyssinians becoming scurrilous, the wrath 
of the monarch was again roused, and lie 
issued a severe edict, w T herein the people 
were forbidden from celebrating the Jew- 
ish Sabbath, which from time immemorial 
had hitherto been sacred. 

The inhabitants of Begemeder flew to 
arms ; and people from all parts of the 
country, groaning under the yoke of for- 
eign oppression, poured in to join the stand- 
ard of rebellion which Joanel had reared 
on the plains of his government. A horde 
of Galla, delighting in the confusion, offer- 
ed their assistance, and the most haughty 
conditions were speedily conveyed to court 
from a large assembly in arms. 

Again the most earnest entreaties were 
employed to induce the emperor to com- 
promise ; but influenced by the words of 
the Jesuits, he called together his principal 
chieftains, monks, and learned men, and in 
their presence solemnly declared that he 
would defend the Catholic religion to the 
last drop of his blood ; adding, that it was 
the first duty of his subjects to obey their 
legitimate monarch. Energetic measures 
were forthwith agreed upon, and, at the 
head of a large array, the king proceeded 



in person to the war. Joanel, finding him- 
self too weak to contend in the plains, 
withdrew to the inaccessible mountains, 
where a blockade by the royal troops soon 
caused a scarcity of provisions. His forces 
gradually deserted ; and he himself escap- 
ing to the Galla, was pursued, betrayed, 
and put to death. 

This reverse sustained by the defenders 
of the old cause did not, however, intimi- 
date the inhabitants of Damot, a province 
situated on the banks of the Nile ; for 
scarcely had the emperor reached his capi- 
tal, when the population rose en masse with 
the determination of dethroning a monarch 
who so basely truckled to a foreign yoke, 
and of driving from the land the authors of 
its distraction. An army of fourteen thou- 
sand warriors was speedily organized ; and 
monks and hermits, burning with zeal in 
the cause, emerged from the cave and from 
the wilderness to join the fast-swelling 
ranks. 

Ras Cella Christos marched against the 
rebels, but desertion considerably thinned 
his troops ; and he confronted the enemy 
with barely one half the numerical strength 
of their formidable array. Governor of the 
province, and greatly beloved by the peo- 
ple, a proposal was tendered to him, that if 
he would only lend his assistance in burn- 
ing the monkish books and hanging the 
worthy fathers themselves upon tall trees, 
he might be seated upon the imperial throne 
of his ancestors. But the general, despi- 
sing the offer, and resting confident in the 
firelocks of the Portuguese, rushed to the 
attack. The combat raged fiercely for a 
time. Four hundred monks, devoting them- 
selves to death, carried destruction through 
the royal host ; but the tide of victory set 
at length in his favor, and after a fearful 
carnage on either side, he found himself 
master of the field. 

Great rejoicings at court followed the 
news of this success. Peter declared that 
Heaven, by the extermination of his ene- 
mies, had given the desired sign that the 
Roman Catholic should be the religion of 
the land ; and the emperor, who, partly from 
fear of his subjects, and partly from dislike 
to relinquish his supernumerary wives and 
concubines, had not as yet publicly pro- 
fessed the Latin religion, now openly em- 
braced the faith, and confessed his sins to 
the triumphant Jesuit. 

A letter containing the royal sentiments 
was published for the benefit of the nation : 
" The king henceforth obeys the pope of 
Rome, the successor of Peter, chief of the 
apostles, who could neither err in doctrine 
nor in conduct ; and all subjects are Jiereby 



264 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



advised to adopt the same creed." And the 
missionary, who now reasonably imagined 
that the work was satisfactorily concluded, 
wrote to the courts of Rome and Lisbon, 
requesting that a patriarch and twenty ec- 
clesiastics might be immediately sent to 
the vineyard ; adding, that " although the 
harvest was plentiful, the laborers were 
but few." 

These happy and unlooked-for tidings 
were received by Philip the Fourth of 
Spain. Mutio Vitelesi, the general of the 
Jesuits, offered to proceed in person, but 
the pope refused permission, as had been 
the case with his predecessor Loyala ; and 
Alphonzo Mendez, a learned doctor of the 
society of Jesus, was inaugurated at Lis- 
bon with all the customary solemnities. 

After suffering much difficulty and delay 
in his passage, the Portuguese patriarch at 
length arrived on the Danakil coast with 
a large train of priests, servants, masons, 
and musicians. The same greediness and 
cupidity were experienced among the sav- 
age Adaiel that the traveller finds at the 
present day — baseness and avarice having 
stamped their character for generations ; 
but the troubles of a weary march were 
soon forgotten in the cordial reception 
which awaited the party at the royal camp ; 
and the day was finally fixed when the 
homage of the king and of the country 
should be rendered to the pope of Rome. 

On the 1 1th of February, 1626, the court 
and the nobles of the land were assembled 
in the open air. Two rich thrones were 
occupied by the monarch and his distin- 
guished guest, and a surrounding multi- 
tude gazed upon the imposing ceremony 
in silence. " The hour is come,'' exclaim- 
ed Mendez, " when the king shall satisfy 
the debt of his ancestors, and submit him- 
self and his people to the only true head 
of the church." A copy of the gospel was 
produced, and the monarch falling upon his 
knees, took the oath of homage. " We, 
king of the kings of Ethiopia, believe and 
confess that the pope of Rome is the true 
successor of the Apostle St. Peter, and 
that he holds the same power, dignity, and 
dominion, over the whole Christian church. 
Therefore we promise, offer, and swear 
sincere obedience to the holy father Urban, 
by God's grace pope and our lord, and throw 
humbly at his feet our person and our king- 
dom." 

As the emperor rose from his position, 
Ras Cella Christos, suddenly drawing his 
sword, shouted aloud, " What is now done 
is done for ever ; and whoso in future dis- 
claims the act, shall taste the sharp edge 
of this trusty weapon. I do homage only 



to true Catholic kings." The monks, cler- 
gy, and noblemen followed the example 
of their superiors ; and the assembly was 
closed by a public edict, proclaimed through 
the royal herald, that all Abyssinians should, 
under pain of death, forthwith embrace the 
Roman religion. 

Palaces and revenues were set apart for 
the ministers of the new faith ; semina- 
ries for youth were established throughout 
the country, and baptism and ordination 
went on in peace. The success of the 
Jesuits increased rapidly, and many thou- 
sand souls were enrolled, who had been 
converted from the delusions of the Alex- 
andrian creed. The trial of two years 
failed, however, to convince the nation of 
the benefits of the true religion ; and the 
emperor and the patriarchs could not de- 
ceive themselves in the fact that the cause 
advanced rather in appearance than in re- 
ality. Missionaries who entered the na- 
tive churches were found murdered in 
their beds ; the most disparaging stories 
were everywhere circulated regarding the 
holy fathers, and more particularly on the 
representation of scriptural performances 
at the Paschal feast, when demons being 
introduced by the Romans upon the stage, 
the spectators rushed simultaneously from 
the theatre, exclaiming, " Alas ! they have 
brought with them devils from the infernal 
regions," and the tale spread like wildfire 
through the land. 

Nothing daunted by the unfortunate fate 
of iElius and Joanel, Tekla Georgis, anoth- 
er son-in-law of the emperor, with a large 
body of the discontented, rose to defend 
the religion of their forefathers. Burning 
the crosses and rosaries, together with a 
Jesuit priest who fell into their hands, the 
party rapidly increased, and the emperor 
was compelled to march an army to quell 
the insurrection. The rebels were com- 
pletely routed by Rexabus the viceroy of 
Tigre, and all who fell into his hands, men, 
women, and children, were barbarously 
massacred. Georgis and his sister Adera 
concealed themselves in a cave, during 
three days, but were at length discovered 
and brought before the irritated emperor. . 
Condemned by the advice of the Jesuits to .. 
be burned to death as a heretic, Georgis was 
allowed by the monarch publicly to solicit 
the patriarch to be admitted into the Roman 
church ; but it being afterward considered 
politic to imagine that his intentions w#re in- 
sincere, the unfortunate prince was hung 
in front of the palace in presence of the 
whole court ; and his devoted sister, fif- 
teen days afterward suffered the same fate 
upon the same tree, notwithstanding that 



MOUNTAINEERS OF BEGEMEDER. 



265 



the most strenuous efforts were made to 
save her life by the queen and by all classes 
of society. 

To increase the dread effects of his tyr- 
anny, the emperor now issued a manifesto, 
that even as he had punished with death 
the obstinacy of his own son-in-law, so 
would he of a surety not spare any who in 
future committed a like transgression. The 
remarks of the worthy missionary Antoine, 
regarding this execution, will show the 
spirit which animated the fathers in the 
course of this persecution, so novel in the 
annals of Abyssinia, and so contrary to the 
mildness of the Christian faith. " He 
who reads with attention the history of 
Ethiopia, will observe that at no previous 
period was such ardent zeal displayed for 
the honor of religion, and a direct miracle, 
indeed, must have induced the emperor to 
hang his own son-in-law in the blessed 
cause." 

Dazzled by the success that had hitherto 
attended their measures, the patriarch and 
his colleagues now plunged headlong into 
proceedings which eventually proved dis- 
astrous to their cause. Excommunications 
were lightly launched in civil disputes, and 
the souls of the royal counsellors of the 
state were committed to the devil for da- 
ring to question the authority of the foreign 
priest. Conspiracies were hatched against 
the imperial person ; and the body of a distin- 
guished nonconforming ecclesiastic, which 
had been interred within the Walls of the 
church, was exhumed by the orders of the 
Portuguese prelate, and thrown to the wild 
beasts — an action which raised the indig- 
nation, of the Ethiopians to the highest pitch 
against a set of men " who had ever the 
words of religion in the mouth, but who, 
after persecuting the living, denied even 
to the dead that repose which neither Pa- 
gan nor Mohammadan ever disturbed." 

The detestation of the fathers and their 
religion daily waxed stronger in the hearts 
of all. Their great patron, Ras Cella 
Christos, was deprived of power and pro- 
perty for seditious attempts ; and the bold 
mountaineers of Begemeder at length seiz- 
ed their long spears to uphold the faith oi 
their ancestors. The viceroy was driven 
from the province, and Melaxus, » youth 
of royal blood, appointed defender of the 
ancient religion, and leader of the armed 
host of peasants who flocked to his stand- 
ard from all parts of the country, but espe- 
cially from Lasta, the seat of the bravest 
warriors of the land. 

To quell this insurrection, the emperor 
assembled in Gojam an army of twenty-five 
thousand men, and attacked the insurgents 
18 



among their strongholds. His troops were, 
however, repulsed at all points, with the 
loss of many officers and men, and he was 
reluctantly obliged to retreat to the plains. 
Deputies followed from the victorious camp, 
to supplicate him to take pity upon his sub- 
jects, and to dismiss those evil-minded 
strangers who had so long oppressed Abys- 
sinia. The royal army was in no heart or 
condition to renew hostilities. Rumors 
went through the land, that angels sent 
from heaven had proclaimed the restoration 
of the ancient religion ; and in the general 
excitement the king perceived that his own 
authority would be fatally compromised un- 
less some concessions were made. 

The patriarch was nevertheless inflexi- 
ble ; and letters were at the same time re- 
ceived from Rome, instigating the emperor 
to combat stoutly with his rebellious sub- 
jects, and extending to Ethiopia the gen- 
eral absolution of the great year of Jubilee. 
But the unhappy inhabitants laughed the 
offer of this indulgence to scorn, and were 
utterly unable to comprehend by what au- 
thority the pope held in his possession the 
keys of the kingdom of heaven. 



CHAPTER CV. 

EXPULSION OF THE JESUITS FROM ETHIOPIA. 

The civil war continued, meanwhile, to 
rage with great expenditure of life, and 
with alternate success on either side. En- 
ticed into the plain, the enemy were gen- 
erally worsted by the royal troops; but 
among the recesses oi their native rocks 
the mountaineers had always the advan- 
tage. No sign of intended submission could 
be observed ; And the monarch, becoming 
suspicious of the Jesuits, who were erecting 
forts and strongholds under the guise of 
church^ and residences, lent a favorable 
ear Xo the entreaties of his subjects. 

A second remonstrance was penned, 
wherein he forcibly set forth to the Portu- 
guese bishop "that the Roman religion had 
not been introduced into the country by the 
miracles or the preaching of the fathers, 
but by royal edict and ordinance, in oppo- 
sition to the wish of the entire population ; 
and that the prelate must devise some 
milder measures for the furtherance of the 
true faith." 

Foreseeing a heavy storm in abeyance in 
case of refusal, Mendez reluctantly com- 
plied with the proposal of a modified church 
code, under the restriction that no public 
manifesto should announce the change, 



266 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



which must be gradually and silently in- 
troduced. The ancient liturgy and the an- 
cient holydays were thus restored, and the 
celebration of the Jewish Sabbath once 
again permitted. 

But the concession was insufficient, and 
came too late to pacify the turbulent moun- 
taineers of Lasta, who had been altogether 
victorious during the war. They would 
listen to no modification of their first de- 
mand ; but imperatively insisted upon the 
complete reestablishment of their ancient 
ecclesiastical institution, together with the 
expulsion of the foreigners from the land. 

The liberty and the customs of high- 
landers are seldom invaded with success ; 
and a religion detested by the common 
people cannot, without much difficulty, be 
introduced by the prince. Weary of so 
many rebellions, and murders, and excom- 
munications, the king, in his advanced age, 
began to view with an unfavorable eye the 
firebrand authors of these disturbances. 
Suspecting his brother and the patriarch of 
seditious views — offended by the contuma- 
cy of his subjects, and the increasing di- 
minution of his own authority — disgusted 
with the present state of affairs, and appre- 
hensive of future events — he now serious- 
ly bethought him of restoring the church 
to its original footing. But the rebellion 
must, in the first instance, be quelled ; and 
having with this view concluded an alli- 
ance with the Galla, he marched toward 
Lasta. 

Twenty thousand peasants, confident of 
victoiy, descending from their mountains, 
rushed into the plain to meet the royal 
force. The two armies for a time re- 
mained in sight, in that still calmness 
which precedes the earthquake. At length 
the Galla cavalry dashing at speed on the 
crowded masses of the enemy, threw them 
into complete confusion — a fierce combat 
lasted until the going down of die sun — 
and the field of battle was left covered with 
eight thousand bodies of the insurgent. 

Throwing themselves prostrate before 
the triumphant monarch on this scene of 
carnage, the vanquished peasants expressed 
their grief in the following lively terms : 
"Who are these men," they asked with 
groans, " who you now behold bathed in 
blood ? Are they Moslem, or Pagan, or 
even the enemies of the kingdom? No, 
they are Christians — they are all thy sub- 
jects, knit together by the most tender 
bonds of blood, friendship, and affection. 
Tl ose warriors who now lie lifeless at thy 
feet, would, under a better government, 
have proved the bulwarks of thy throne, 
and the terror of those very men by whose 



hands they have fallen. The pagans even 
blush at thy cruelty, and call thee renegade 
for having abandoned the religion of thy 
fathers. Cease, O emperor ! in mercy 
cease to prolong a struggle which must 
end in the downfal of the throne, and the 
ruin of all religion in the land I" 

The empress also mingled her tears 
with the groans of the wounded petitioners, 
and adjured the king for the love of God, 
and in the name of future generations, to 
take pity upon his subjects, and desist from 
preparing a sepulchre for himself and for 
his family. " What have you gained by 
this battle ?" she exclaimed, " You have 
introduced into the kingdom hordes of pa- 
gan Galla, who detest yourself equally with 
your religion ; but futile will be your at- 
tempt to establish in Ethiopia a form of 
worship which is unknown to the greater 
part of your people, and to the remainder 
is known only to be resisted to the last 
drop of their blood." 

These representations sunk deep into 
the heart of the emperor ; and instead of 
proceeding in triumph to his capital, he 
retired to a secluded spot to give vent to 
his feelings, and bewail the loss he had 
created. The Galla troops were dismiss- 
ed ; and having collected all the principal 
monks and clergy, he announced his reso- 
lution of allowing the nation to return to 
the faith of their forefathers. 

Immediately on this intelligence, the 
patriarch hurried with all the Jesuit fathers 
to soothe the ruffled mood of the monarch. 
" I had fondly imagined," exclaimed Men- 
dez, " that we were the victors, but behold 
we are the vanquished; and the rebels, 
routed and put to flight, have obtained all 
that they desire. Call to mind how many 
fields thou hast won with the assistance of 
God and the Portuguese, and remember 
that thou didst embrace the true faith of 
thine own free will. We have been sent 
unto thy charge by the pope of Rome, and 
by the king of Portugal. Beware of irri- 
tating great potentates to just indignation. 
They be indeed far off, but God is nigh at 
hand; and thy apostacy will defile thy 
name and that of thy nation, and will leave 
an everlasting tarnish upon the Lion of the 
tribe of Judah which now glitters in the 
standard of Ethiopia." On the conclusion 
of this harangue, all threw themselves at 
his feet, and entreated an immediate order 
to execution, rather than a confirmation 
from his lips of the rash resolution that he 
had taken. 

Retaining a too lively recollection of the 
streams of blood that had been poured out 
upon the plains of Lasta, the emperor 



THE ANCIENT RELIGION RESTORED. 



287 



quietly allowed the Jesuits to arise, and, 
unmoved by their earnest prayers and en- 
treaties, replied shortly, "that his adhe- 
rence to the Catholic faith had already 
Caused the slaughter of a great portion of 
his subjects, and that he would have no 
further dealings whatever with their doc- 
trines." 

The film fell from before the eyes of the 
discomfited monks. The friends of the 
Alexandrian faith . rallying roun d the throne, 
united their utmost efforts to strengthen 
the emperor in his resolves ; and the ru- 
mor spread abroad that on the fast of St. 
John the Baptist the ancient religion was 
to be reestablished throughout the land. 
Thousands assembled in the capital on 
that day to assist in the ceremony ; and, al- 
though temporarily disappointed, the event 
clearly proved that this act of justice could 
no longer be safely delayed. 

Every art and stratagem was still resort- 
ed to by the patriarch to put off the evil 
day ; but the emperor, roused at length by 
the harsh and uncompromising character 
of the Jesuit, fiercely exclaimed, " Has, 
then, the sceptre departed from mine hand 
for ever ?" — and the royal trumpets sud- 
denly sounded through the streets of Gon- 
dar, as the herald announced the following 
proclamation to the empire : 

" Listen and hear ! We formerly re- 
commended to you the adoption of the 
Roman Catholic creed, on the firm convic- 
tion that it was the only true one ; but 
numbers of our subjects having sacrificed 
their lives for the religion of their ances- 
tors, we henceforth accord its free exercise 
unto all. Let the priests resume posses- 
sion of their churches, and worship the 
God of their forefathers. Farewell, and 
rejoice." 

It is impossible to describe the rapture 
with which this welcome edict was re- 
ceived. The praises of the emperor re- 
sounded from every quarter. The rosaries 
and the chaplets of the Jesuits were tossed 
out of doors, and burned in a heap. Men 
and women danced for joy in the streets, 
and the song of liberation burst from the 
lips of the disenthralled multitude. 

" The flock of Ethiopia has escaped from the hyenas 

of the West. 
The doctrine of St. Mark is the column of our church. 
Let all rejoice and sing hallelujahs, 
For the sun of our deliverance has lighted up the land." 

Thus perished the hopes of a mission, 
which, for craft and cruelty, has been sel- 
dom equalled in the annals of time. While 
Rome must indeed have been prompted by 
no ordinary motive to persevere so perti- 
naciously in a work of conversion, through 
18* 



all the horrors of banishment and martyr- 
dom, the unworthy means resorted to by 
the dauntless but unsuccessful agents em- 
ployed in the enterprise have left an indel- 
ible stain upon the page of her history. 



CHAPTER CVI. 

THE CHURCH, SECOND GREAT POWER IN 
SHOA. 

Christianity is the national religion, 
over the more elevated portions of Abys- 
sinia ; but the wild Galla has overrun her 
fairest provinces, and located himself in 
her most pleasant places — the bigoted 
Moslem crowds thick upon the skirts of 
her distracted empire, and the tenets that 
she professes are base, foolish, and degra- 
ding. Engrafted on the superstitions of 
the Jew, the Mohammadan, and the Pagan 
— promulgated by rude and ignorant men 
— and received by a people emerging only 
into the first stage of civilization — the light 
of religion must have been feeble, even in 
the beginning ; but as it was imparted, so 
it still remains. Sects and parties have 
arisen, and province has been banded 
against province in all the fiery wrath of 
the zealot ; but, lost in the maze of subtle 
controversy, these internal wars have raged 
for generations without disturbing the orig- 
inal doctrine ; and the same errors of the 
church prevail to this day throughout the 
land, as when first propounded in the be- 
ginning of the fourth century. 

The aboon, or archbishop, is the spiritual 
chief of Ethiopia. Consecrated by the pa- 
triarch of Alexandria, and possessing with 
rich revenues the intelligence of other 
lands, the primate is universally feared and 
respected throughout the empire, and all 
religious differences and dissensions must 
be carried for the final decision of his holi- 
ness. Princes and rulers pay implicit de- 
ference to his high behest, and, seated on 
the ground before his episcopal throne, 
receive with the utmost respect his every 
wish and advice. Feuds* and quarrels be- 
twixt state and state are satisfactorily ar- 
ranged in his presence ; and war, tyranny, 
and violence are controlled by his all-com- 
manding voice of mildness and benevo- 
lence. But while his influence is thus 
potent, the extent of his diocese is also 
great ; and many local difficulties opposing 
the pastoral visit to the extremities of his 
see, the kingdom of Shoa has for ages 
been deprived of the advantages accruing 
from the residence of an archbishop. 






268 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



In the hand of the aboon is vested the 
exclusive power of consecration. Bishops, 
priests, and deacons can from him alone 
receive holy office. He only it is who 
grants absolution for heavy offences against 
either God or man ; and the ark of a church, 
whether newly constructed or polluted by 
the unhallowed touch of a Mohammadan, 
must be purified by his hands with the holy 
merom, before being entitled to that high 
adoration which it thenceforward receives. 

The second place in spiritual dignity is 
filled by the etchegue, the grand prior of 
the monks of Debra Libanos. Seated on 
the throne of Tekla Haimanot, one of the 
first founders of the orders of Seclusion, 
he engrosses the management of all the 
various monastic establishments through- 
out the land, and in his hands remains the 
charge of the existing literature and edu- 
cation. Deeply versed in the subtilties of 
theology, his opinion is held of the highest 
import in the never-ceasing disputes upon 
the uninteresting subjects of false faith 
which occupy the mind of the Abyssinian 
divine ; but his authority extends only to 
the simple admittance into the monkish 
order, and to granting absolution for the 
minor offences of evil thought, and pre- 
scribed fast neglected. 

The comus, or bishop, who ranks next 
above the priest, is without diocese or even 
authority over the inferior members of the 
church ; and his peculiar function is to 
bless and purify the sacred ark, should it 
accidentally receive the impure touch of 
deacon or layman ; to repeat the prayer of 
admission, and sign the cross on the skull- 
cap of the candidate for monastic seclu- 
sion ; and to afford absolution for trivial 
offences against the conscience. 

Twelve thousand clerical drones, 

" Fruges consumere nati," 

fatten in idleness on the labor of the work- 
ing classes ; and the kiss imprinted on the 
hand of one of these licentious shepherds 
being believed to purify the body from all 
sin, they are treated with the highest re- 
spect and veneration, are fed and caressed 
both by high and low, and invariably ad- 
dressed as " father." 

Upon payment each of a few pieces of 
salt, many hundred candidates receive the 
breath of the Holy Ghost from the aboon 
in a single day ; but every Abyssinian be- 
l ing ignorant of his own age, it is essential 
to the reception of priestly orders that the 
beard should have appeared. Deacons are 
chosen from among boys and children, be- 
cause on reaching maturity the life of the 
adult is not always distinguished by that 



spotless purity which is held indispensable. 
The juvenile novices are present during 
divine service in the capacity of servitors, 
and they complete the requisite number 
at the administration of the holy commu- 
nion. 

The father confessor is bound to the 
strictest secrecy ; and it is believed that 
on this point a dread oath is taken before 
ordination, when all the mysteries of re- 
ligion are expounded by the aboon, and 
especially those which have reference to 
the preparation of bread for the holy sup- 
per. In a small house styled Bethlehem, 
which rises immediately behind every 
church, the mysterious ceremony is per- 
formed. The deacon can alone bake the 
cake ; and the most vigilant guard is inva- 
riably preserved against the approach or 
intrusion of females or other improper visi- 
tors during the hour of solemn preparation. 
Certain revenues and estates are set 
apart for the support of each clerical 
establishment; and to insure the proper 
distribution, an alaka, or chief, is selected 
by the monarch from either class of so- 
ciety. While a successful foray is inva- 
riably followed by donations from the 
throne, the safe return from a journey is 
acknowledged by an offering on the part 
of all private individuals ; and the shade 
of the venerable juniper-trees, which adorn 
the church-yard on the summit of the 
greenest knolls, is ever crowded with 
groups of sleek, hooded priests, who bask 
in the enjoyment of idle indulgence. 

There are perhaps more churches in 
Abyssinia than in any other part of the 
Christian world ; and he who has erected 
one believes that he has atoned for every 
sin. But even the best are very misera- 
ble edifices of wattle plastered with mud, 
only to be distinguished from the surround- 
ing hovels by a thin coating of whitewash, 
which is dashed over the outside to point 
with the finger of pride to the peculiar 
privilege of the two great powers in the 
land. Circular in form, with a door to 
each quarter of the compass, and a conical 
thatch, the apex is surmounted by a brazen 
cross, which is usually adorned with os- 
trich eggs ; and the same depraved and 
heathenish taste pervades the decorations 
of the interior. Sculpture is strictly for- 
bidden ; but the walls are bedaubed with 
paintings of the partron saint of the church, 
the blessed Virgin, and a truly incongru- 
ous assemblage of cherubim and fallen, 
angels, with the evil one himself enveloped 
in hell flames. Timbrels and crutches 
depend in picturesque confusion from the 
bare rafters of the roof ; no ceiling protects 






THE HOLY TABOT— DIVINE SERVICE. 



269 



alone, 
pagan, 
forced 
are in 



the head from the descent of the lizard and 
the spider; and the tout ensemble of the 
slovenly Abyssinian church presents the 
strangest imaginable picture of cobweb 
finery. 

The Jewish temple consisted of three 
distinct divisions — the fore-court, the holy, 
and the holy of holies. To the first lay- 
men were admitted, to the second only the 
priest, and to the third the high priest 
All entrance was denied to the 
a custom which is rigorously en- 
in Abyssinia ; and her churches 
ike manner divided into three parts. 

Eight feet in breadth, the first compart- 
ment stretches, after the fashion of a cor- 
ridor, entirely around the building. It is 
styled Kene Mdhelet,a,nd, strewed through- 
out with green rushes, forms the scene of 
morning worship. To the right of the en- 
trance is the seat of honor for priests and 
erudite scribes; and beyond this court, 
save on certain occasions, the bare foot of 
the unlearned layman cannot pass. 

Makdas is the second compartment. 
This is the sanctuary in which the priests 
officiate, and a corner is set apart for lay- 
men during the administration of the holy 
supper, while a cloth screens the myste- 
ries of the interior. Here also hang, ar- 
ranged around the walls, the bones of 
many deceased worthies, which have been 
carefully gathered from the newly opened 
sepulchre, and are deposited by the hand 
of the priest in cotton bags. By the near- 
est relative, the first opportunity is em- 
braced of transporting these mouldering 
emblems of mortality to the sacred resting- 
place of Debra Libanos, where the living 
and the dead are alike blessed with a rich 
treasure of righteousness, since the re- 
mains of Tekla Haimanot, the patron saint 
of Abyssinia, still shed a bright halo over 
the scene of his miracles upon earth. 

To Kedis Kcdisen, the holy of holies, 
none but the alaka is admitted. Behind 
its veil the sacrament is consecrated, the 
communion vessels are deposited, and the 
tremendous mysteries of the tabot, or ark 
of the covenant, are shrouded from the 
eyes of the uninitiated. The gold of the 
foreigner has penetrated the secret of the 
contents of this box, which are nothing 
more than a scroll of parchment, on which 
is inscribed the name of the patron saint 
of the church ; but the priest, who dared 
to open his lips on the subject to one of 
his own countrymen, would incur the 
heavy penalties due to the sacrilege. 

The most ridiculous exploits are record- 
ed of Menilek the son of Solomon and the 
queen of Sheba, who crowned along course 



of iniquity by plundering the temple of 
Jerusalem. The true ark of Zion is be- 
lieved still to exist in the church at Axum ; 
but prayers, vows, and oblations, are equal- 
ly made to the handicraft of any vain ec- 
clesiastic, which may be held up to the 
admiring multitude as having been secreted 
in a cave during the inroad of the con- 
quering Graan, and since revealed by a 
miraculous dream from Heaven. 

In the presence of the mysterious cask- 
et consists the only sanctity of the church. 
Heretics alone doubt of its inherent vir- 
tues ; and every individual who professes 
Christianity, must during life make his 
vows and oblations to the one he has se- 
lected, in order that after death he may 
enjoy the privilege of interment under its 
sacred influence. Young and old, rich 
and poor, prostrate themselves to the 
ground as the idol is carried in procession 
through the streets under the great um- 
brellas ; and when replaced in his case in 
the holy of holies, the air is rent by the 
attendant priests with shouts of " The 
.temple of the eternal God !" 

All the disqualifications of the Levitical 
law oppose entrance to the sacred edifice, 
and both the threshold and the door-posts 
must be kissed in passing. Like the Jews, 
the Abyssinians invariably commence the 
service with the trisagion, " Holy, holy, 
holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth." The 
sweet singer of Israel danced before the 
Lord, and a caricature imitation remains, 
the chief point of Abyssinian worship. 
Capering and beating the ground with 
their feet, the priests stretch out their 
crutches toward each other with frantic 
gesticulations, while the clash of the tim- 
brel, the sound of the drum, and the howl- 
ing of harsh voices, complete a most 
strange form of devotion. The lessons are 
taken partly from the Scriptures, partly 
from the miracles of the holy Virgin and 
of Tekla Haimanot, the life of saint George, 
and other foolish and fabulous works ; but 
all are in the ancient Ethiopic tongue, 
which to the congregation is a dead letter ; 
and the sole edification of a visit to the 
church is therefore comprised in the kiss 
that has been imprinted on the portal. 

In order to obtain the desired and envia- 
ble position of eating the bread of com- 
parative idleness, a sacrifice is indispen- 
sable. The priest is restricted to the 
possession of a single wife ; and on her 
demise or infidelity, no second marriage 
is authorized. A small portion of lore 
must, moreover, be imbibed — the Psalms 
of David must be carefully conned — and 
the mysteries of Abyssinian song and 



370 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



dance be fully penetrated, before the sacred 
office can be attained. The lessons of 
early youth are, however, speedily forgot- 
ten, and the constant repetition of the 
same words removes the necessity of re- 
taining the character. Few in after years 
can read — still fewer respect the vow of 
chastity — and the employment of the morn- 
ing hours of the Sabbath, and of the holy- 
days, in dancing and shouting within the 
walls of the church, entitle the performer 
to all the immunities and comforts per- 
taining unto holy orders. 

In every clerical conclave the king pos- 
sesses the supreme voice of authority ; and 
the despotic monarch may in Shoa be 
justly regarded as the head of his own 
church. .Loss of office is the great pun- 
ishment inflicted by the spiritual court, 
which is composed of the assembled mem- 
bers of the individual church, and degra- 
dation is followed by the expulsion of the 
offending brother from the community. 
But the great hall of justice is not unfre- 
quently graced with the presence of the 
refractory priest ; and fetters in the dun- 
geon, or banishment from the realm, main- 
tain a wholesome fear of the royal power 
of investigation in matters ecclesiastical. 
The monk is admitted to the order of 
his choice by any officiating priest. A 
prayer is repeated, the skull-cap blessed 
with the sign of the cross, and the cere- 
mony is complete. But a more imposing 
rite attends the oath of celibacy before the 
aboon. The clergy assemble in numbers, 
and fires are lighted around the person of 
the candidate. His loins are bound about 
with the leathern girdle of saint John, and 
the prayer and the requiem for the dead 
rise pealing from the circle. The Glaswa 
— a narrow strip of black cloth adorned 
with colored crosses — is then placed on 
the shaven crown, and shrouded from view 
by the enveloping shawl ; and the arch- 
bishop, clad in his robes of state, having 
repeated the concluding prayer and bless- 
ing, signs with his own hand the emblem 
of faith over the various parts of the body. 
Education was in former days to be ob- 
tained alone from the inmate of the mo- 
nastic abode ; and a life of scanty food, aus- 
terity, and severe fasting, was embraced 
only by the more enthusiastic. But the 
skin-cloak, and the dirty head-dress, now 
envelope the listless monk, who, satisfied 
with a dreamy and indolent existence, 
basks during the day on the grassy banks 
of the sparkling rivulet, and prefers a bare 
sufficiency of coarse fare from the hand of 
royal charity, to the sweeter morsel earned 
by the sweat of the brow. 



Priest-ridden and bigoted to the last de- 
gree, the chains of bondage are firmly riv- 
eted around the neck of the infatuated 
Abyssinian. The most ridiculous doctrines 
must be believed, and the most severe 
fasts and penances must be endured, ac- 
cording to the pleasure and the fiat of the 
church. Uncharitable and uncompromis- 
ing, her anger often blazes forth into the 
furious blast of excommunication ; and for 
offences the most trivial, the souls of men 
are consigned to eternal perdition. 

Fasts, penances, and excommunication, 
form, in fact, the chief props of the clerical 
power; but the repentant sinner can al- 
ways purchase a substitute to undergo the 
two former, and the ban of the church is 
readily averted by a timely offering. Spi- 
ritual offences are indeed of rare occur- 
rence ; for murder and sacrilege alone give 
umbrage to the easy conscience of the na- 
tive of Shoa ; and all other crimes written 
in the book of Christian commandment 
have been well nigh effaced from the sur- 
face of his tablet. Abstinence and the 
disbursement of suitable largesses to the 
priest and mendicant, are of themselves 
quite sufficient to insure the requisite abso- 
lution for every sin committed in the flesh. 

The death-bed and the funeral feast are 
attended with much advantage to the tem- 
poral interests of the church. The choi- 
cest food is unsparingly dealt out, and the 
bereaved widow is glad to leave the man- 
agement of her affairs to the assiduous 
father confessor, who is entertained in the 
house of all who can afford the expense. 
The dying man bestows a portion of his 
estate in this world for the bright hopes 
which absolution extends in that which is 
to come ; and the holy sacrament is even 
administered after the soul has quitted the 
tenement of clay, in order that the super- 
stition of grateful relatives may grant a 
rich reward for the blessing of the priest, 
and for his undeniable assurance of ex- 
emption from punishment hereafter. 

But the Abyssinian possesses no idea of 
the more salutary doctrine of Christianity. 
Polluted faith is here reflected in the mir- 
ror of depraved manners, and long severe 
fastings constitute the essence of his de- 
generate religion. The idol worship of 
saints has made rapid progress in the land ; 
and the ignorance of the clergy is only to 
be equalled by the impurity of the lay 
classes. Their belief in Christianity, if 
that term can be applied, is strange, child- 
ish, and inconsistent ; and bigoted to the 
faith of their ancestors, they abhor and 
despise all who refuse acquiescence in this 
their absurd confession : 



THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF. 



271 



" That the Alexandrian faith is the only 
true belief. 

" That faith, together with baptism, is 
sufficient for justification ; but that God 
demands alms and fasting, as amends for 
sin committed prior to the performance of 
the baptismal rite. 

" That unchristened children are not 
saved. 

" That the baptism of v/ater is the true 
regeneration. 

" That invocation ought to be made to 
the saints, because sinning mortals are 
unworthy to appear in the presence of God, 
and because if the saints be well loved, 
they will listen to all prayer. 

" That all sins are ibrgiven from the 
moment that the kiss of the pilgrim is im- 
printed on the stones of Jerusalem ; and 
that kissing the hand of a priest purifies 
the body from all sin. 

" That sins must be confessed to the 
priest — saints invoked — and full faith re- 
posed in charms and amulets, more espe- 
cially if written in an unknown tongue. 

" That prayers for the dead are neces- 
sary, and absolution indispensable ; but 
that the souls of the departed do not im- 
mediately enter upon a state of happiness, 
the period being in exact accordance with 
the alms and prayers that are expended 
upon earth." 

All ideas regarding salvation are thus 
vague and indefinite ; and vain, foolish 
doctrines have taken entire possession of 
the shallow thoughts of the Christian of 
Ethiopia. Born amid falsehood and deceit, 
cradled in bloodshed, and nursed in the 
arms of idleness and debauchery, the na- 
tional character is truly painted in the con- 
fession of one of her degenerate sons : — 
" Whensoever we behold the pleasing 
ware, we desire to steal it; and we are 
never in the company of a man whom we 
dislike, that we do not wish to kill him on 
the spot." 

The uphill task of the missionary is 
therefore hard ; and the wonder is that so 
much has been accomplished — not that the 
harvest is scanty. The example of a holy 
life cannot fail to produce a beneficial ef- 
fect, and the preacher of the gospel is ac- 
knowledged to possess every quality that 
is good, mild, and just ; but disliked as a 
stranger of envied accomplishment, des- 
pised as an alien to the land, and hated by 
the jealous priesthood, the words of truth 
fall unheeded from lips the most eloquent, 
and the best-directed endeavors prove of 
small avail. Perfectly satisfied with his 
own creed, the Abyssinian finds it easier 
to kiss the holy book than to peruse its 



contents ; and to trust to the fast and the 
priestly absolution than to mould his con- 
duct according to the gospel ; and it is not 
until commerce, with the arts of civilized 
society, shall have been introduced, that 
the barrier can be overcome, or one step 
be gained toward the restoration to the un- 
happy country of the true word of God. 
The bigotry of ages is confirmed by the 
self-pride and the excessive ignorance of 
the present race ; and on the rising or on 
the unborn generation must rest the sole 
hope for a moral resurrection. 



CHAPTER CVII. 

ABYSSINIAN RITES AND PRACTICES WHICH 
WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN BORROW- 
ED FROM THE HEBREWS. 

The claim to the appellation of Hdbeshi, 
" a mixed and mingling people, is most 
aptly exemplified in this strange medley 
of religion, to which the Jew, the Moslem, 
and the Pagan, has each contributed. A 
mixture from different nations, as stigma- 
tized by the original term, the Abyssini- 
ans have garbled the faith of their an- 
cestors ; and there is assuredly no Chris- 
tian community in the whole world, which 
has jumbled together truth and falsehood 
with such utter inconsistency as the vain 
church of Ethiopia. 

Many circumstances have conspired to 
render the nation more peculiarly suscepti- 
ible of Hebrew influence. The first Chris- 
tian missionary found the people idolaters, 
and worshippers of the great serpent Arwe ; 
but the ancestors of those Jews who to the 
present day exist in the country, unques- 
tionably arrived long before the nation had 
embraced the Christian religion, and in 
their attempts to obtain a moral influence 
over their pagan hosts were far from being 
inactive in their adopted home. Thus the 
early Christian church, that of Egypt 
especially, by which many Hebrew cus- 
toms had been embraced, was the more 
readily received when introduced into a 
nation among whom similar doctrines and 
practices were already in use. 

Boasting a direct descent from the house 
of Solomon, and flattering themselves in the 
name of the wisest man of antiquity, the 
emperors of Abyssinia preserve the high- 
sounding title of " King of Israel," and the 
national standard displays for their motto 
— " The Lion of the tribe of Judah hath 
prevailed." The tradition of Queen Ma- 
queda has been ascribed to the invention of 
those fugitive Jews, who, after the destruc- 



272 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tion of Jerusalem by the Emperor Titus, 
emigrated into the northern states by way 
of the Red Sea — who disseminated it with 
the design of obtaining the desired permis- 
sion to settle in the country, and whose de- 
scendants are the Falashes still extant 
among the mountains of Simien and Las- 
ta. But whatever may be thought by oth- 
ers of the legend of descent, the firm na- 
tional belief in the origin traced will in a 
great measure account for the general in- 
clination and consent to receive Hebrew 
rites and practices as they were from time 
to time presented. Jews as well as Chris- 
tians believe the forty-fifth psalm to be a 
prophecy of the queen's visit to Jerusalem, 
whither she was attended by a daughter 
of Hiram the king of Tyre — the latter por- 
tion being a prediction of the birth of Me- 
nilek, who was to be king over a nation of 
Gentiles. 

Whatever the true date of their arrival, 
it is certain that the Hebrews have exer- 
cised a much greater influence upon the 
affairs of Abyssinia than in any other since 
the days of their dispersion ; and although 
their religion was abjured by the nation on 
the promulgation of the Gospel, the chil- 
dren of Israel, moulding a portion of their 
worship on the formulae of the Christian 
faith, and esteemed as sorcerers and cun- 
ning artists in the land, found a safe asylum 
among the mountains, and exist to the pres- 
ent day, here, as elsewhere, a separate and 
peculiar nation. 

With the destruction of the race of Sol- 
omon the Jewish party for a time obtained 
the preponderance. Again, on the resto- 
ration of the reigning dynasty, they were 
hunted among the mountains as a race ac- 
cursed, and the feeling reigned paramount 
to sweep the wanderers from the face of 
the land. But the custom of ages had im- 
pressed the Hebrew practices too deeply 
to be removed. They were, in fact, re- 
garded in the light of orthodox Christian 
doctrines ; and as might have been expect- 
ed from a bigoted and superstitious peo- 
ple, the severest persecutions were enfor- 
ced against the members of another creed, 
without the nation observing in how far 
they were themselves tainted with those 
very principles which in others they con- 
sidered so justifiable to oppress. 

The Abyssinian Christian will neither 
eat with the Jew, nor with the Galla, nor 
with the Mohammadan, lest he should 
thereby participate in the delusions of his 
creed ; and the church and the churchyard 
are sternly closed against all who commit 
this deadly sin. The same restrictions 
which prohibited the Jews from partaking 



of the flesh of certain animals, pronounced 
unclean by the Mosaic law, also heavily 
binds the stubborn neck of the Ethiopian. 
The act which is deemed disgraceful in the 
eyes of men, is regarded as a moral trans- 
gression, and is visited, as was the case in 
the Mosaic institution, by the stern repri- 
mand of the priest. The penance of se- 
vere fasting, or of uneasy repose upon the 
bare ground, is enforced by the father-con- 
fessor to efface the taint of the interdicted 
animal ; and prayers must be repeated, and 
holy water plentifully besprinkled over the 
defiled person of that sinning individual 
who shall have dared to touch the meat of 
the hare, or the swine, or the aquatic fowl. 

" The children of Israel did not eat of 
the sinew which shrank, which is upon the 
hollow of the thigh." This is in the Am- 
haric language termed Shoolada. and it is 
prohibited and held unlawful to be eaten in 
Shoa, more especially to the members of 
the royal blood. Considered as highly un- 
clean, it ranks with the carrion carcass ; 
and the universal belief prevails, that the 
touch of the unholy morsel would infalli- 
bly be followed by the loss of the offending 
teeth, as a direct reproof ttf the just indig- 
nation of Heaven. 

The Jewish Sabbath is strictly observed 
throughout, the kingdom. The ox and the 
ass are at rest. Agricultural pursuits are 
suspended. Household avocations must be 
laid aside, and the spirit of idleness reigns 
throughout the day. 

Abolished by order of the great council 
of Laodicea, the Oriental churches were, 
after the observance of centuries, freed from 
this burden ; and men gladly availed them- 
selves of the ecclesiastical license to work 
on the Saturday. Here, however, the an- 
cient usage agreed too well with the lazi- 
ness of a people systematically trained to 
indolence ; and when, a few years ago, one 
daring spirit presumed, in advance of the 
age, to burst the fetters of superstition, his 
majesty the king of Shoa, stimulated by the 
advice of besotted monks, delegated his 
wardens throughout the land, and issued 
a proclamation, that whoso disturbed the 
original dreamy stillness of the Jewish Sab- 
bath should forfeit his property to the royal 
treasury, and be consigned to the state dun- 
geon. 

Ludolf, the celebrated Strabo of Ethio- 
pia, most accurately remarks, that " there 
is no nation upon earth which fasts so 
strictly as the Abyssinians ; and that they 
would rather commit a great crime than 
touch food on the day of abstinence.' 1 
They not only boast with the Pharisee, " I 
fast twice a week," but pride themselves 



ANNUAL ATONEMENT— INFERIOR DEITIES. 



273 



also upon their mortification of the flesh 
during half the year, while the haughty 
and self-sufficient monk vaunts his meagre 
diet as the only means of expiation from 
sin and evil desire. 

The Abyssinians, in common with other 
Christian communities who rigidly observe 
the fasts of Wednesday and Friday, ad- 
vance as an argument that the Jews seized 
our Saviour on the first of those days, and 
on the second carried into execution their 
design of crucifixion ; but as this account 
differs from the evidence of the Gospel, 
which shows that the arrest took place 
^upon the Thursday, the observance is most 
probably an imitation of the weekly fasts in 
existence among the Jews. 

The fast of the forty days before Easter 
is observed with much greater rigor than 
any other in Abyssinia ; and the reckless 
individual who shall neglect the great 
" Toma Hodadi " cannot possess one sen- 
timent of true religion in his heart. To 
the abstinence of this season especially are 
attached peculiar virtues which completely 
nullify the effect of every sin that may be 
committed throughout the residue of the 
year. 

According to the Jewish practice, all cu- 
linary utensils must be thoroughly cleansed 
and polished, to the end that no particle of 
meat or prohibited food may remain to pol- 
lute the pious intention. Journeys and 
travel are strictly interdicted ; and from 
the Thursday until Easter morn, no morsel 
should enter the lip, and the parched throat 
ought to remain without moisture. 

During the fast of the holy Virgin, chil- 
dren of tender years are not even exempted 
from the penance of sixteen days ; and du- 
ring the many and weary weeks of absti- 
nence which roll slowly throughout the 
entire year, the Abyssinian priest would 
grant no dispensation to the famished mor- 
tal, " were he even to receive an immediate 
mandate from Heaven." 

Sahela Selassie arose some years ago a 
mighty zealot in the cause ; and perceiving 
that a custom was beginning to decline, 
proclaimed through the royal herald, pains 
and penalties sufficiently severe to insure 
the future strict observance of the fast. 
The commands of the defender of the faith 
were, however, in one instance, transgress- 
ed by a soldier, during a military expedi- 
tion, but his excuse of fatigue under a heavy 
load of the king's camp equipage was ad- 
mitted ; and although on similar occasions 
a certain license is extended, still the mon- 
arch keeps a strict watch over the main- 
tenance of church discipline. 

On the annual day of atonement, the 



Jews were obliged to confess their sins be- 
fore a priest. In like manner the Abyssi- 
nians are commanded from time to time to 
perform the ceremony, during the great 
fast of Ffodada more particularly, and on 
Good Friday, the day of the Jewish expi- 
ation. And as the slave, in token of his 
freedom and dismissal, received the blow 
from the Roman praetor, so the penitent 
on absolution receives a stroke over the 
shoulders from the branch of the Woira 
tree, as a sign of his deliverance from sin 
and Satan. 

Like the pagans of ancient and modern 
times, who placed between the most high 
God and themselves an inferior deity, the 
Abyssinians observe this species of idola- 
try, although the names of their tutelar 
spirits have been changed. Saint Michael 
and the holy Virgin are here venerated as 
in no other country in the world — the for- 
mer as the martial leader of all the choirs 
of angels — the latter as chief of all saints, 
and queen of heaven and of earth ; and 
both are considered as the great interces- 
sors for mankind. 

The detrimental influence of this super- 
stition is fully exemplified in the conduct 
of the nation. The mediator is ever em- 
ployed when individual courage fails in 
impudent assurance or insatiable beggary. 
Time is uselessly wasted in importunity, 
which all believe must in the end prove 
successful ; and the practice of invocation 
and intercession thus exerts the most bane- 
ful tendency even upon the daily dealings 
of life. 

Like the Jews of old, the Abyssinians 
weep and lament on all occasions of death, 
and the shriek ascends to the sky, as if the 
soul could be again recalled from the world 
of spirits. The Israelites employed hired 
mourners ; but here the friends and rela- 
tives of the departed assemble for the same 
purpose, and the absence of any from the 
scene is ascribed to want of love and affec- 
tion. As with the Jews, the most inferior 
garments are employed as the weeds of 
wo ; and the skin torn from the temples, 
and scarified on the cheeks and breast, pro- 
claims the last extremity of grief. 

In later days, the extravagance of mourn- 
ing has been somewhat moderated, through 
the agency of a priest of the church of St. 
George, who stood boldly forward to arrest 
a practice equally at variance with the 
sacred books of the country, and with the 
spirit of the New Testament. Excommu- 
nication was thundered upon all who should 
thenceforth indulge publicly in the luxury 
of wo ; and the people trembled under the 
ban of the church. The death of a great 



274 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



governor soon confirmed the restriction. 
Loved and esteemed by all classes, the 
prohibition was severely felt. The com- 
plaint was referred to the throne ; and as 
the deceased was a man of rank, and a 
royal favorite withal, the clergy were com- 
manded to grant absolution in this one in- 
stance. But Zeddoo, the stout-hearted 
priest, arose, and declared that he had no 
respect for persons, and that the words of 
truth must be defended to the death. The 
silence of the monarch enforced the eccle- 
siastical fiat ; and to this day the drum is 
mute at the funeral wake, and the custom- 
ary praise of the deceased is heard no more 
in the public resorts of the capital. 

The Talmud asserts that those who died 
piously remained in a state of active know- 
ledge of all the occurrences of this world. 
Philo, the learned Jew of Alexandria, in- 
forms us, that the souls of the patriarchs 
pray incessantly for the Jewish nation, and 
the erudite rabbins believed that angels are 
the governors of all sublunary things, and 
that each man and every country has a 
guardian angel for protection and direction. 
The Abyssinians carry this belief even 
further — they confidently anticipate the in- 
tercession and assistance of saints and 
angels in all spiritual and secular concerns, 
and invoke and adore them in even a higher 
degree than the Creator. All their churches 
are dedicated to one in particular, and the 
holy " tabot" is regarded as the visible rep- 
resentative of the celestial patron. The 
ark of St. Michael accompanies all military 
expeditions, to insure success against the 
gentiles ; and that of Tekla Haimanot 
stands the palladium of the north, to pre- 
serve the empire from the attacks of the 
Mohammadan prince of Argobba. 

All the absurd ideas of the Jewish rab- 
bins regarding the dead have been received 
and embraced by the fathers of Abyssinia. 
They maintain with the Romanists too, 
that the soul of the departed does not im- 
mediately enter into the kingdom of joy, 
but is conducted to a habitation situated 
in an invisible spot between the heaven 
and the earth, where it remains until the 
resurrection, in a state of happiness or tor- 
ment, according to the alms and prayers 
bestowed by surviving relatives and friends. 
Niches in the same spot are also occupied 
by the saints ; and the inconsistency of 
their faith fully appears in the belief that 
the intercession of the Almighty is abso- 
lutely necessary of these very saints, who 
themselves require mortal mediation to be 
absolved from their spiritual imperfections, 
and to be suffered to rest in peace until 
£he coming of Christ. 



But the self-interest of the avaricious 
priest is wrapped up in the preservation of 
this doctrine. The clergy enjoy the price 
of death-bed confession ; and a corner of 
the church-yard is sternly denied to all 
who die without the due performance of 
the rite, or whose relations refuse the fee 
and the funeral feast. The payment of 
.eight pieces of salt, however, wafts the soul 
of a poor man to a place of rest, and the 
tescar, or banquet for the dead, places him 
in a degree of happiness according to the 
costliness of the entertainment. The price 
of eternal bliss is necessarily higher to the 
rich ; but German crowns procure the at- 
tendance of venal priests, who absolve and 
pray continually day and night, and the 
reeking brundo is frequently devoured in 
commemoration of the event. Royalty is 
taxed at a still more costly rate, and the 
anniversaries of the deaths of the six kings 
of Shoa are held with great ceremony in 
the capital. Once during every twelve 
months, before the commencement of a 
splendid feast, their souls are fully absolved 
from all sin : and the munificence of their 
illustrious descendant is still further dis- 
played in the long line of beeves which 
afterward wends its way to the threshold 
of every church in Ankober. 



CHAPTER CVIII. 

THE PEOPLE. 

^Ethiops, one of the twelve descendants 
of Cush, the son of Ham, said to have been 
begotten and buried at Axum, is regarded 
by the Abyssinians as their great progeni- 
tor. Shortly after the flood, the grandson 
of Noah is believed to have advanced from 
the low country, then under the dominion 
of the sea and the marsh, until, after cross- 
ing a tract little fitted for the occupation 
of the shepherd, he ascended the high- 
lands of Ethiopia, which afforded an invit- 
ing habitation to the parent stock from 
which has emanated the different shoots of. 
African population. 

Like most other Abyssinian legendsJ 
this version is somewhat at variance with' 
received history, which assigns to Arabia 
the original seat of the Cushites. The 
strange medley of color and feature ob- 
servable at the present day, does not, how- 
ever, overturn the theory of origin. The 
habits of the people, and the peculiarly 
varied climate of their country, together 
with the usual result of mingling inter- 
course with the fairer and more beautiful 



ORIGIN OF THE AMHARA— NATIONAL COSTUME. 



275 



among the various hordes of slaves which 
have for age6 streamed through the land 
from the ravaged interior, are in themselves 
sufficient to account for the diversity. 

The connection with Arabia, commen- 
cing at a period the most remote, is known 
to have existed for many centuries. Ar- 
mies from both nations respectively visited 
each other in wrath — merchants recipro- 
cally sustained the intercourse — later still, 
the family of the false prophet found an 
asylum among the mountains of a country, 
which, as a Christian state that was not 
overwhelmed by the resistless flood of 
Islamism, stands alone in the history of 
Eastern nations ; and to the present day 
many peculiarities in the language, the 
laws, and the customs of both, continue to 
mark a common origin. Existing usages 
would also tend to confirm what was af- 
firmed in the days of Diodorus, that Egypt 
was originally colonized from Ethiopia, the 
very soil being brought down from the 
highlands by the floods of the Nile. 

Caucasian features predominate among 
the Amhara; but the complexion passes 
through every shade, from an olive brown 
to the jet black of the negro. An approxi- 
mation to the thick lip and flattened nose 
is not unfrequently to be seen ; but the 
length and silkiness of the hair invariably 
marks the wide difference that exists be- 
tween the two races. The men are tall, 
robust, and well formed ; and the women, 
although symmetrically made, are scarcely 
less masculine. They are sometimes beau- 
tiful, but, as a rule, the reverse ; and their 
attempts are indeed ingenious to render 
hideous the broad unmeaning expanse of 
countenance bestowed upon them by na- 
ture. 

All savages esteem certain deformities 
to be perfection, and strive, by augmenting 
the wildness of, their aspect, to enhance 
the beauty of their persons. Having first 
eradicated the eyebrow, the Amhara dam- 
sel paints a deep narrow curved line in 
their room with a strong permanent blue 
dye ; thus imparting a look of vacancy and 
foolishness, which in the high-born dame 
is heightened by plastering the cheeks to 
the very eyes with a pigment of red ochre 
and fat. If not close shaven, and encircled 
by a narrow greasy fillet of rag, the head 
is adorned with many minute rows of 
elaborate curls, which diverge from a com- 
mon centre, and are besmeared with stale 
butter until the wig has assumed the ap- 
pearance of an ordinary English beehive. 

The costume consists of a wide sack 
chemise with baggy sleeves, confined 
round the waist by a narrow girdle, and sur- 



mounted by a long winding sheet thrown 
over the head, and descending to the heels 
— very coarse and strong, and, like Ruth's 
veil, fully capable of containing six meas- 
ures of wheat. Large black wooden studs 
in the lobe of the ear are on high days and 
holvdays replaced by masses of silver or 
pewter, resembling a pile of hand-grenades, 
or the teething rattles employed in nurse- 
ries. Bracelets and anklets of the same 
metals, which, from their clumsiness, are 
aptly denominated " fetters," are worn by 
those who can afford such extravagance. 
Blue and gold-colored beads are ingenious- 
ly wrought into a necklace by the wealth- 
ier, who never appear without a bandalier 
of potent amulets terminating in a huge 
red bell-rope tassel ; and the lady of rank 
completes her toilet by dying her hands 
and feet red with the bulb called ensolesa, 
securely plugging up the nostrils with 
lemonpeel or some aromatic herb, so that 
the end of the bouquet may dangle before 
the mouth. 

From the king to the peasant, the cos- 
tume of the men consists of a large loose 
web of coarse cotton cloth, enveloping the 
entire person in graceful folds, but well 
nigh incapacitating the wearer from exer- 
tion. Frequently disarranged, and falling 
ever and anon upon the ground, the trou- 
blesome garment must be constantly tuck- 
ed up and folded anew about the shoulders, 
from which it is removed in deference to 
every passing superior. A cotton w r aist- 
cloth of many yards in length is swathed 
about the loins, and a pair of very wide 
loose trowsers, termed senaphil, hang bare- 
ly to the knee. 

The sword, the spear, and the buckler, 
are the national weapons ; and the first is 
girded to the loins of every male subject 
in the kingdom, be his profession what it 
may. Barely two feet in length, and highly 
crescent-shaped, it rather resembles a 
sickle than an implement of war. It 
serves equally at the banquet and in the 
field ; but being firmly lashed to the right 
side protrudes most incommodiously be- 
hind, and is not to be detached from the 
scabbard unless by much grunting and 
personal exertion. 

" With the unfkshion'd fur 
Rough-clad, devoid of every finer art, 
And elegance of life," 

the serf still appears in the raw fleece of 
the sheep, which he shifts according to the 
vicissitudes of the weather. During the 
journey or the foray a cloak, composed of 
the prepared skin of the lion, the leopard, 
or the ocelot, is thrown over the shoulders 
of the better classes. Neither shoes nor 



276 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



sandals are ever employed. The despot 
and the wandering mendicant are alike 
barefooted ; and, unless by the clergy or 
the inmate of the monastery, no covering 
is worn on the head. A wooden skewer, 
displaying either a feather or a sprig of 
wild asparagus, is stuck in the hair of two- 
thirds of the nation, and the arm of every 
man of any note is encumbered with an 
infinity of copper rings forming a gauntlet, 
or with ponderous ivory armlets, or with a 
mass of silver which might serve as a 
shackle to a wild colt. 

In the absence of a razor, the men scru- 
pulously denude their cheeks and chin 
with a pair of very indifferent scissors — a 
mode of proceeding which serves greatly 
to enhance the dirty appearance of their 
unwashed faces. Water, not less than 
coffee and tobacco, being studiously avoid- 
ed, as savoring too strongly of abhorred 
Islamism, the Christian contents himself 
with rubbing his eyes in the morning with 
the dry corner of his discolored robe ; but 
the greatest attention is paid to the man- 
agement of the hair, with which nature 
has so liberally supplied him, and many 
hours are daily expended in arranging the 
mop into various and quaint devices. At 
one time worn hanging in long clustering 
ringlets over the cheeks and neck — at an- 
other, frizzed into round matted protuber- 
ances ; to-day, fancifully tricked and trim- 
med into small rows of minute curls like a 
counsellor's peruke ; and to-morrow, boldly 
divided into four large lotus-leaved com- 
partments — it is invariably reeking under 
a liberal coat of rancid butter, which taints 
the atmosphere with the most nauseous 
and abominable effluvium. 

During the period of mourning, which 
extends to one year, black or yellow gar- 
ments, or the ordinary apparel steeped in 
mire, must be worn as weeds ; and on the 
demise of a relative or friend, both sexes 
scarify the cheeks by tearing from below 
each temple a circular piece of skin about 
the size of a sixpence ; to accomplish 
which, the nail of the little finger is pur- 
posely suffered to grow like an eagle's 
talon. An ecclesiastical remonstrance to 
the throne, representing this practice to be 
in direct violation of the written law, " Ye 
shall not make any cuttings in your flesh 
for the dead," long since obtained the pro- 
mulgation of a royal edict directing its 
discontinuance ; but it is still universally 
practiced; and throughout the kingdom 
there is scarcely an individual to be seen, 
whether male or female, who has not at 
some period of life beon thus horribly dis- 
figured. 



The mateb, a small encircling cord of 
deep blue silk, chosen in reference to the 
smiling sky above, is the badge of debased 
Christianity throughout the land; and 
those who accidentally appear in public 
without it are severely censured by their 
pastors. Like other Eastern nations, the 
Amhara have no family name. They soon 
ripen and grow old. Girls become mothers 
at the early age of twelve, and are decayed 
before the summer of life has well com- 
menced. 

It has been conjectured by Pliny, that 
the Orientals received their first hints in 
architecture from the swallow ; and that, 
in imitation of the abode of the feathered 
instructor, their primeval essays were 
made in clay. Whence the Abyssinians 
obtained their ideas on the subject it were 
difficult to tell ; but it is certain that they 
have made little progress, whether in ex- 
ecution or in design. Their houses, con- 
structed as in the earliest days, are still a 
mere framework of stakes, sparingly be- 
daubed with a rude coating of mud. Here 
thieves can readily break through and 
steal ; and of such a flimsy nature are the 
materials employed, that the morning sun 
often rises a witness to the truth of the 
scriptural metaphor, " He built his house 
upon the sand, and it was swept away by 
the rising flood." 

The windows, when any windows there 
be, are mere perforations in the wall, fur- 
nished with shutters, but unprovided with 
any transparent substance ; and thus, if 
the clumsy door is closed against the 
searching fog, or the cutting wintry blast, 
all possibility of admitting light is pre- 
cluded. The thermometer rarely rising 
above 65°, indicates the necessity for arti- 
ficial heat ; but, excepting through the 
crevices in the door, and the apertures of 
the cracked walls, there exists no exit for 
the smoke of the sunken wood fire, which 
thus fills the solitary apartment, blackens 
the low roof, and occasions frequent at- 
tacks of ophthalmia. Throughout, the 
most slovenly appearance pervades the 
dreary interior. Furniture is limited to a 
small wicker table, a bullock's hide, and a 
rickety bedstead abounding in vermin ; 
and while the universal objection to the 
use of water, whether as regards the per- 
son or the apparel of the inmates, enhan- 
ces the gloomy vista of cobweb desolation, 
dirt and filth choke up the surrounding 
inclosure. 

The absence of drains or sewers com- 
pels the population of the towns and vil- 
lages to live like swine in the filth of their 
own styes, inhaling all the odors of de- 



mtm 



RAVAGES OF EPIDEMIC— DOMESTIC LIFE. 



277 



composing matter and stagnant water. 
The comfort of space is never consulted — 
stables and outhouses are far beyond the 
notions of the proprietor ; and in the ab- 
sence of all tidiness or comfort in the ar- 
rangement of the yards, the unseemly 
dunghill, which in other countries is car- 
ried away to improve the soil, is here 
suffered to accumulate and rot before the 
entrance. Poisoning the atmosphere with 
its baneful exhalations, it is periodically 
swept away by the descending torrents to 
feed the rank weeds which fatten in the 
mire ; but no attempt is to be seen at the 
small trim garden, or neat rustic porch, 
even in the lone farm-steadings which are 
scattered throughout the county. All 
alike present a dreary look of desertion. 
The poultry, and the mules, and the farm- 
stock, and the inhabitants, all reside under 
the same roof. Bare walls and slovenly 
thatch rise from a straggling wattle stock- 
ade, which environs the premises to pre- 
serve the inmates from the nocturnal at- 
tacks of the prowling hyena, and to impart 
the fullest idea of confinement and misery. 
Few trees break the monotony of the 
scene. No busy hum of glad labor is to 
be heard — no bustle or noise among the 
elders — no merry game or amusement 
among the children ; and thus to the Eu- 
ropean visitor the whole appears strange, 
savage, and unnatural. 

With the doors allowing free ingress to 
every injurious current, with roofs admit- 
ting the tropical rain, and sunken floors 
covered with unwholesome damp, it is 
only surprising that many more of the 
people of Shoa are not martyrs to disease. 
It is now nine years since an epidemic 
called ougdret made its first appearance 
at the capital, and, as might have been an- 
ticipated, spread with fearful virulence in 
the foul city. The drum of misfortune 
was heard by the credulous pealing over 
the land ; and although a black bull was 
led through the streets, followed by the 
inhabitants carrying stones upon their 
heads in token of repentance, and the sac- 
rifice of atonement was duly performed, 
one half of the whole population was 
swept away. The monarch sought se- 
clusion in the remote palace at Machal- 
wans, and would see no one until the 
plague was stayed ; and the survivors of 
his subjects fled for a season from a hill 
which was declared by the priesthood to 
have been blasted by a curse from Heaven. 



CHAPTER CIX. 

SOCIAL AND MORAL CONDITION. 

In Shoa a girl is reckoned according to 
the value of her property ; and the heiress 
to a house, a field, and a bedstead, is cer- 
tain to add a husband to her list before 
many summers have shone over her head. 
Marriage is generally concluded by the 
parties declaring, before witnesses, " upon 
the life of the king," that they intend to 
live happily together, and the property of 
each being produced, is carefully apprized. 
A mule or an ass, a dollar, a shield, and a 
sheaf of spears on the one side, are noted 
against the lady's stock of wheat, cotton, 
and household gear ; and the bargain being 
struck, the effects become joint for the 
time, until some domestic difference re- 
sults in either taking up their own, and 
departing to seek a new mate. 

Matrimony is, however, occasionally 
solemnized by the church, in a manner 
somewhat similar to the observance of 
more civilized lands ; the contracting par- 
ties swearing to take each other for life, 
in wealth or in poverty, in sickness or in 
health, and afterward ratifying the cere- 
mony by partaking of the holy sacrament, 
and by an oath on the despot's life. But 
this fast binding is not relished by the in- 
habitants of Shoa, and it is of very rare 
occurrence. Favorite slaves and concu- 
bines are respected as much as wedded 
wives. No distinction is made between 
legitimate and illegitimate children ; and, 
to the extent of his means, every subject 
follows the example set by the monarch, 
who, it has been seen, entertains upon 
his establishment, in addition to his lawful 
spouse, no fewer than five hundred concu- 
bines. 

The king resides only a few weeks at 
either of his many palaces ; and whenever 
he proceeds to another, is accompanied by 
all his chief officers, courtiers, and domes- 
tics. At each new station a new female 
establishment is invariably entertained. 
All conjugal affection is lost sight of, and 
each woman is in turn cast aside in neg- 
lect. Few married couple ever live long 
together without violating their vow ; and 
the dereliction being held of small account, 
a beating is the only punishment inflicted 
upon the weaker party. The jewel chas- 
tity is here in no repute ; and the utmost 
extent of reparation to be recovered in a 
court of justice for the most aggravated 
case of seduction is but fivepence sterling ! 

Morality is thus at the very lowest ebb ; 
for there is neither custom nor inducement 



278 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



to be chaste, and beads, more precious than 
fine gold, bear down every barrier of re- 
straint. Honesty and modesty both yield 
to the force of temptation, and pride is sel- 
dom offended at living in a state of indo- 
lent dependence upon others. The soft 
savage requires but little inducement to 
follow the bent of her passions according 
to the dictates of unenlightened nature ; 
and neither scruples of conscience nor the 
rules of the loose society form any obstacle 
whatever to their entire gratification. 

The bulk of the nation is agricultural ; 
but on pain of forfeiting eight pieces of 
salt, value twenty pence sterling, every 
Christain subject of Shoa is compelled, 
whenever summoned, to follow his imme- 
diate governor to the field. A small bribe 
in cloth or honey will sometimes obtain 
leave of absence, but the peasant is usually 
ready and anxious for the foray ; present- 
ing as it does the chance of capturing a 
slave, or a flock of sheep, of obtaining 
honor in the eyes of the despot, and of 
gratifying his inherent thirst for heathen 
blood. 

The principal men of the country who 
may not be intrusted with government, 
spend their time in basking in the sun, 
holding idle gossip with their neighbors, 
lounging about the purlieus of the court, 
or gambling at gebbela or shuntridge,* the 
management of the house being left to the 
women, and the direction of the farm to 
the servants and slaves. Visits are cus- 
tomarily paid early in the morning ; and 
it is reckoned disreputable to enter a stran- 
ger's house after the hour of meals, be- 
cause the etiquette of the country enforcing 
the presentation of refreshment, the un- 
seasonable call is ascribed to a desire to 
obtain it. 

Whether in the cabinet or in the field, 
a great man is constantly surrounded by a 
numerous band of sycophants, and never 
for a moment suffered to be by himself. 
The custom of the country enjoins the 
practice — the cheapness of provisions fa- 
vors the support of a large retinue — and 
in the lack of manufactories, the popula- 
tion is able to supply an unlimited number 
of idlers, who are willing to pick up a 
livelihood by any means that chance may 
present. But to the stranger the nuisance 
is a crying one. No privacy is to be en- 
joyed, for no retirement is ever permitted. 
A dozen naked savages are perpetually by 



* Oebbeta is a game something allied to backgam- 
mon, but played with sixty-four balls stored in twenty 
cavities on the board. 

Skuntridge is, with few deviations, the Arab game 
of chess. 



his side, restrained by no very correct 
ideas of order or decorum. Each intru- 
der seizes the first object that comes 
within his reach, and attacks ears, teeth, 
and nose with the most reckless indiffer- 
ence to appearance. The confused hum 
and half-suppressed chatter are far from 
affording assistance during the hours of 
mental employment ; and at the season of 
meals, or during the presence of illustrious 
visitors, the whole establishment, denuded 
to the girdle, crowd into the apartment to 
satisfy insatiate curiosity, under pretext 
of doing honor to their lord and master. 

On the first introduction of a stranger, 
an individual is selected from the estab- 
lishment, and appointed the baldoraba, or 
" introducer." He is designed to illustrate 
the agency of the holy Virgin and of the 
saints, between the Redeemer and the sin- 
ning mortal. To him and to him alone 
can a visitor look for admittance into the 
house ; and unless he be present, the mon- 
arch and the great man are alike invisible. 
Court-yards may be thronged with attend- 
ants, and the doors may seem invitingly 
accessible, but the open sesame is wanting, 
and the repulsed visitor returns to his 
home disgusted with the insolence re- 
ceived. Time, however, gradually softens 
down the rigidity of the most inconvenient 
practice, which is at first so pertinaciously 
observed. Suspicion of evil design gives 
way on matured acquaintance ; and after 
a certain probation, there is not much more 
difficulty experienced in gaining admittance 
to an Abyssinian hut, than to the lordly 
halls of the English nobleman. 

Respect is paid by prostration to the 
earth in a manner the most degrading and 
humiliating — by bowing the face among 
the very dust — by removing the robe in 
order to expose the body — and on entering 
the house, by kissing the nearest inanimate 
object. Every subject, of whatever rank, 
when admitted to the royal presence, 
throws himself flat before the footstool, 
and three times brings his forehead in con- 
tact with the ground. All stand with 
shoulders bare to the girdle before his 
majesty, as do servants in that of the 
master or superior ; but to equals the cor- 
ner of the cloth is removed only for a 
time. Anything delivered to a domestic 
must be received with both hands in a 
'ringing attitude ; and should a present 
bo made, the nearest object, generally the 
t\. eshold of the door, is invariably saluted 
wu ; i the lips. 

A.uong the chiefs and those of rank, 
presents are frequently interchanged, ai 
the utmost display is attempted on their 



RAW BEEF-STEAKS— HYDROMEL. 



279 



delivery. To this end the articles are sub- 
divided into a multiplicity of minute por- 
tions, placed in baskets covered with red 
cloth, and consigned to a long train of 
bearers. Each component part of the gift 
must next be exposed to the view of the 
recipient. Wild bulls and unruly he-goats, 
half as large as a donkey, are forcibly 
dragged into the sitting apartment, to the 
imminent danger and frequent pollution of 
all around. Cocks and hens, unseemly 
joints of raw beef, loaves of half-baked 
dough, pots of rancid butter, sticky jars of 
honey, or leaky barilles of hydromel, sacks 
of barley, bundles of forage, and coarse 
evergrown cabbages, must be in turn nar- 
rowly scrutinized and personally approved ; 
and any deviation from this established 
rule is certain to be visited with the most 
dire displeasure. 

Meals are taken twice during the day — 
at noon and after sunset. The doors are 
first scrupulously barred to exclude the 
evil eye, and afire is invariably lighted be- 
fore the Amhara will venture to appease 
his hunger — a superstition existing that 
without this precaution devils would enter 
in the dark, and there would be no bless- 
ing on the meat. Men and women sit 
down together, and most affectionately pick 
out from the common dish the choicest bits, 
which, at arm's length, they thrust into 
each other's mouth, wiping their fingers on 
the pancakes which serve as platters, and 
are afterward devoured by the domestics. 
The appearance of the large owlish black 
face bending over the low wicker table, to 
receive into the gaping jaws the proffered 
morsel of raw beef, which, from its dimen- 
sions, requires considerable strength of fin- 
ger to force into the aperture, is sufficiently 
ludicrous, and brings to mind the nest of 
sparrows in the garden hedge expanding 
their toad-like throats to the wanton whis- 
tle of the truant -school-boy. Mastication 
is accompanied by a loud smacking of the 
lips — an indispensable sign of good breed- 
ing, which is said to be neglected by none 
but mendicants, " who eat as if they were 
ashamed of it ;" and sneezing, which is fre- 
quent during the operation, is accompanied 
by an invocation to the Holy Trinity, when 
every bystander is expected to exclaim, 
Maroo ! " God bless you !" 

Raw flesh forms the great aliment of 
life ; and a sovereign contempt is enter- 
tained toward all who have recourse to a 
culinary process. The bull is thrown down 
at the very door of the eating-house — the 
head having been turned to the eastward, 
is with the crooked sword nearly severed 
from the body under an invocation to the 



Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — and 
no sooner is the breath out of the carcass, 
than the raw and quivering flesh is handed 
to the banquet. It is not fair to brand a 
nation with a foul stigma, resting on a soli- 
tary fact ; but he who, like the writer, has 
witnessed during the return of the foray 
the wanton mutilation of a sheep, whose 
limbs were in succession severed from the 
carcass while the animal was still living, 
can readily believe all that is related by 
the great traveller Bruce of all the cruelties 
practiced in Northern Abyssinia. 

Sour bread, made from teff, barley, and 
wheat, is eaten with a stimulating pottage 
of onions, red pepper, and salt. Daboo, the 
most superior description of bread manu- 
factured, is restricted to the wealthier 
classes ; but there are numerous other 
methods employed in the preparation of 
grain, descending through all the grades 
of hebest, anbabtro, anabroot, defo, amasa^ 
debenia, demookta, and kitta ; the first four 
being composed of wheaten flour, and the 
remainder of teff, gram, juwarree, barley, 
and peas. 

Mead formed the beverage of the north- 
ern nations, and was celebrated in song by 
all their bards. It was the nectar they 
expected to quaff in heaven from the skulls 
of their enemies, and upon earth it was 
liberally patronized. In Shoa the despot 
alone retains the right of preparing the 
much-prized luxury, which, under the title 
of tedj, is esteemed far too choice for the 
lip of the plebeian. Unless brewed with 
the greatest care, it possesses a sweet 
mawkish flavor, particularly disagreeable 
to the palate of the foreigner; but its pow- 
ers of intoxication, which do not appear to 
be attended with the after-feelings insepa- 
rable from the use of other potent liquors, 
extend an irresistible attraction to the Am- 
hara of rank, who will never, if the means 
of inebriation be placed within his reach, 
proceed sober to bed. 

The branches of the gesho planf are 
dried, pulverized, and boiled with water, 
until a strong bitter decoction is produced, 
which is poured off and left to cool. Honey 
and water being added, fermentation takes 
place on the third day. Chilies and pep- 
per are next thrown in, and the mixture is 
consigned to an earthen vessel, closely 
sealed with mud and cow dung. The 
streng f h increases with the age ; and the 
monarch's cellars are well stored with jars 
filled thirty years ago, during the reign of 
his sire, which, lit-le inferior in potency to 
old Cognac, furnishes the material for the 
nightly orgies in the palace. 

The lullah, or beer of the country, also 



380 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



possesses intoxicating properties, and, swal- 
lowed to the requisite extent, produces the 
consummation desired. Barley or juwar- 
ree, having been buried until the grain be- 
gins to sprout, is bruised, and added to the 
bitter decoction of the gesho. Fermenta- 
tion ensues on the fourth day, when the 
liquor is closed in an earthen vessel, and, 
according to the temperature of the hut, 
becomes ready for use in ten or fifteen 
more. The capacity of the Abyssinian for 
this sour beverage, which in aspect resem- 
bles soap and water, is truly amazing. In 
every house gallons are each evening con- 
sumed, and serious rioting, if not bloodshed, 
is too often the result of the festivity. 

Rising with the liquor quaffed, the fierce 
passions gradually gain the entire ascend- 
ency, and guests seldom return to their 
homes without witnessing the broil and the 
scuffle, the flashing of swords and the deal- 
ing of deep cuts and wounds among the 
drunken combatants. Jf but a small por- 
tion of the grease which is so plentifully 
besmeared over the Christian persons of the 
Amhara were employed in the fabrication 
of candles, the long idle evenings might be 
passed in a more pleasant and profitable 
manner than in the swilling of beer like 
hogs, and the consequent brawling conten- 
tions which at present stigmatize their noc- 
turnal meetings. 

On ordinary occasions, however, when 
not engaged in a debauch, the Abyssinian 
retires to his bed as soon as the shades of 
night close in. A bullock's hide is stretch- 
ed upon the mud floor, on which, for mu- 
tual warmth, all the inferior members of the 
family lie huddled together in puris natu- 
ralibus. The clothing of the day forming 
the covering at night, is equitably distribu- 
ted over the whole party ; and should the 
master of the house require sustenance du- 
ring the nocturnal hours, a collop of raw 
flesh and a horn of ale are presented by 
a male or female attendant, who starts 
without apparel from the group of sleep- 
ers, exclaiming Abiel! "My lord!" to the 
well-known summons from the famished 
gaita. 

Coffee, although flourishing wild in many 
parts of the kingdom, is at all times strictly 
forbidden on pain of exclusion from the 
church ; and the priesthood have extended 
the same penal interdiction to smoking, 
" because the Apostle saith, that which 
cometh out of the mouth of a man defileth 
him." One half the year, too, which is 
reserved for utter idleness, is sternly mark- 
ed by an exclusion of all meat diet, under 
the fearful penalty of excommunication. 
Eggs and butter are then especially forbid- 



den, as also milk, which is styled "the 
cow's son." Nothing whatever is tasted 
between sunrise and sunset ; and even at 
the appointed time a scanty mess of boiled 
wheat, dried peas, or the leaves of the kail- 
cabbage, with a little vegetable oil, is alone 
permitted to those who are unable to obtain 
fish, of which none are found in any of the 
upland rivers. 

Beside Wednesdays and Fridays through- 
out the twelve months, which are observed 
as holydays, the fast of the Apostles con- 
tinues eighteen days, that of the holy Vir- 
gin sixteen, Christmas seven, Nineveh four, 
and Lent fifty-six. During all of these, 
laboring men are strictly prohibited from 
every employment, and, as they desire their 
souls to be saved, are compelled to live like 
anchorites, to the serious diminution of 
their bodily strength. This is encouraged 
and promoted by the king ; yet there is no 
system so baneful as that of devoting so 
many precious days to idleness and vice, 
and none forming a more fatal obstacle to 
the amelioration of the people. Where 
such a waste of time as this is sanctioned by 
religion, how deeply laid must be the found- 
ation of mental ignorance ! Six months 
out of the twelve devoted to listless idle- 
ness is indeed an immense source of evil, 
and God, who has placed men here for use- 
ful and worthy exertion, is not likely to 
reward them for their sloth. But through- 
out Abyssinia the evil is in full force. In 
arts, in industry, and in social as well as 
in moral existence, her sons are shrouded 
under a dense cloud of ignorance. Want 
of education denies them the relaxation of 
intellectual employment — little amusement 
varies the dull routine of a life awed by the 
church, by the king, and by the nobles ; and 
an unprofitable existence having been pass- 
ed in this world, the spirit passes away 
without any very distinct idea being enter- 
tained of what is to happen in the next. 



CHAPTER CX. 

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. 

Geez, the ancient Ethiopic, was the ver- 
nacular language of the shepherds. Until 
the fourteenth century of the Christian era 
it remained that of the Abyssinian empire, 
and in it are embodied all the annals of her 
religion. After the downfall of the Ze- 
guean dynasty, and the restoration of the 
banished descendants of Solomon, Amharic 
became the court language, to the com- 
plete exclusion of the Geez. It prevails in 
Shoa, as well as in all the provinces in- 



THE AMHARIC TONGUE— THE SCRIBE. 



281 



eluded between the Taccaze and the blue 
Nile, and is thus spoken by the greater por- 
tion of the population of Abyssinia. 

The province from which the language 
has derived its appellation is at the present 
day in occupation of the Yedjow, and other 
Mohammadan Galla tribes, who speak a 
distinct dialect ; but the fact of " Amhara " 
being a term held synonymous with " Chris- 
tian," would prove that it must formerly 
have exerted preeminent influence in the 
empire. 

Of Semitic origin, and acknowledging 
the Ethiopic as its parent, the Amharic 
displays much mutual interchange with the 
surrounding African languages — those, es- 
pecially, which are spoken by the Danakil, 
the Somauli, the Galla, the people of Ar- 
gobba, and those of Hurrur and of Gurague. 
The cognate dialect peculiar to Tigre has 
received much less adulteration from other 
tongues, and consequently preserves a 
closer similitude to the Ethiopic ; and this 
circumstance may be traced to the greater 
intercourse maintained with a variety of 
foreign nations by the versatile and unsta- 
ble population in the south. 

Amharic excepted, none of the many lan- 
guages extant in Abyssinia have assumed 
a written form. The Ethiopic characters, 
twenty-six in number, are the Coptic 
adaptation of the Greek alphabet, model- 
led upon the plan of the Arabic, deranged 
from their former order, and rendered rude 
and uncouth by the fingers of barbarous 
scribes. Each individual consonant, be- 
ing subjected to variations of figure corres- 
pondent with the number of vowels, pro- 
duces a prolific kaleidescope mixture, 
which might have been deemed sufficient. 
Bat the ingenious phonologist who applied 
these to the Amharic tongue has superadd- 
ed seven foreign letters, each undergoing 
seven transformations by the annexure of as 
many vowel points ; and these, with the ad- 
dition of a suitable modicum of diphthongs, 
complete a total of two hundred and fifty- 
one characters, of the separate denomina- 
tion of any of which, notwithstanding that 
most have possessed names from all an- 
tiquity, it may not, perhaps, be considered 
extraordinary that the most erudite in the 
land should profess entire ignorance. 

When the Egyptian monarch interdict- 
ed the employment of the papyrus, parch- 
ment was invented. The Jews very early 
availed themselves of the charta pergame- 
na, whereupon to write their scriptures. 
The roll is still used in their synagogues ; 
and being introduced into Abyssinia on 
the Hebrew emigration, it continues the 
only material used by the scribe. His ink 
19 



is a mucilage of gum-arabic mixed with 
lampblack. It acquires the consistency of 
that used in printing, and retains its in- 
tense color for ages. The pen is the reed 
used in the East, but without any nib, and 
the inkstand is the sharp end of a cow's 
horn, which is stuck into the ground as 
the writer squats to his task. 

But it must be confessed that the Abys- 
sinian scribe does not hold the pen of a 
ready writer ; and the dilatory manage- 
ment of his awkward implement is attend- 
ed with gestures and attitudes the most 
ludicrous. Under many convulsive twitch- 
es of the elbow, the tiny style is carried 
first to the mouth, and the end having been 
seized between the teeth, is masticated in 
a sort of mental frenzy. Throughout the 
duration of this necessary preliminary, the 
narrow strip of dirty vellum is held at 
arm's length, and viewed askance on every 
side with looks of utter horror and dismay ; 
and when at last the stick descends to dig 
its furrow upon the surface, no terrified 
schoolboy, with the birch of the pedagogue 
hanging over his devoted head, ever took 
.such pains in painting the most elaborate 
pot-hook, as does the Abyssinian professor 
of the art of writing, in daubing his strange 
hieroglyphics upon the scroll. 

As with the Chinaman, each individual 
character must on completion be scruti- 
nized from every point of view, before pro- 
ceeding to the next. Every word must 
be read aloud by the delighted artist, spelt 
and respelt, and read again ; and the greasy 
skin must be many times inverted in order 
that the happy effect may be thoroughly 
studied. During each interval of approv- 
al, the destructive convulsions of the jaw 
are continued to the complete demolition 
of the pencil, and long before the termina- 
tion of the opening sentence, European pa- 
tience has become exhausted at the scene 
of awkward stupidity, and the gross waste 
of valuable time which it involves. 

Seventeen years have been employed in 
transcribing a single manuscript, and an 
ordinary page is the utmost that can be 
produced by one entire day's steady appli- 
cation. A book is composed of separate 
leaves inclosed between wooden boards, 
usually furnished with the fragment of a 
broken looking-glass for the toilet of the 
proprietor, and carefully enveloped in a 
leathern case. The contents being of 
a sacred nature, and generally embodied 
in an unknown tongue, they are looked 
upon with the eye of superstitious creduli- 
ty, and more especially venerated if embel- 
lished with colored daubs and an illumina- 
ted title-page. 



282 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



The pictorial art is still far behind the 
middle ages of Europe ; and the appear- 
ance of the limner arranging his design 
■with a stick of charcoal, or filling in the 
gaudy partitions with the chewed point of 
a reed dabbled in the yolk of an egg, 
which is placed on end before him, proves 
sufficiently diverting. The conceits of 
some of the most celebrated masters also 
afford a fund of amusement. Christ still- 
ing the tempest is a subject fraught with 
the deepest perplexity to those who have 
never seen either a maritime vessel or the 
"great water," and fire-arms are placed 
somewhat before their invention in the 
hands of the heroes of antiquity. Our 
common father in the enjoyment of para- 
dise is at the present day invariably depict- 
ed with an emblazoned buckler, a sprig of 
asparagus, and a silver sword ; and his 
erring partner appears with a bushy bee- 
hive wig most elaborately buttered, with 
silver earrings resembling piles of cannon- 
shot. But although doubts exist as to 
complexion of the first parents of man- 
kind, the fact is not a little complimentary 
to the heretic Franks, that the fairest skin 
is given to saints, angels, and the " dead 
kings of memory," whereas black or blue 
are the colors invariably employed in de- 
picting his satanic majesty. 

One hundred and ten volumes* comprize 
the literature at this day extant in Abys- 
sinia; but tradition records the titles of 
other works, which it has already been said 
were deposited for security in the islands 
of the lake Zooai, at the period of the Mo- 
hammadan inroads. Of the accumulated 
lore of ages, four manuscripts only are 
written in the language at present spoken 
and understood ; and, with exception of the 
Holy Scriptures, the whole is little more 
than a tissue of absurd church controversy 
and lying monkish legend. 

Four monstrous folios, styled Senkesar, 
which are to be found in every church, 
briefly record the miracles and lives of the 
countless saints and eminent persons who 
receive adoration in Abyssinia ; and on the 
day ordered by the calendar for the service 
of each, his biography is read for the edifi- 
cation of all those of the congregation who 
comprehend the Ethiopic tongue. A host 
of pious worthies thus preside over every 
day of the entire year ; and fables of the 
most preposterous kind, detailed with scru- 
pulous minuteness, are vouched for upon 
unexceptionable authority. 

Idle legends form the delight of the peo- 
ple of Shoa. The Ethiopic saint is nothing 

* Vide Appendix, 



inferior to his western brethren. He per- 
forms yet more marvellous miracles, leads 
a still more ascetic life, and suffers even 
more dreadful martyrdom ; whence he is 
proportionably adored in the native land of 
credulity, superstition, and religious zeal. 
Between apocryphal and canonical books 
no distinction is made. Bell and the Drag- 
on is read with as much devotion as the 
Acts of the Apostles, and it might be ad- 
ded, with equal edification too ; and St. 
George vanquishing his green dragon is an 
object of nearly as great veneration as any 
of the heroes in the Old Testament. 

But the store of literature being thus 
bound up in a dead letter, few excepting 
the priests and defteras can decipher them, 
and many of these learned men are often 
more indebted to the memory of their early 
youth than to the well-thumbed page in 
their hand. The ignorance of the nation 
is indeed truly deplorable ; for those chil- 
dren only receive the rudiments of an ed- 
ucation who are designed for the service 
of the church; and the course of study 
adopted being little calculated to expand 
the mind of the neophyte, a peculiar de- 
ficiency is presented in intellectual fea- 
tures. The five churches of Ankober have 
each their small quota of scholars, but the 
aggregate does not amount to eighty, out 
«f a population of from twelve to fifteen 
thousand ! 

Abyssinia, as she now is, presents the 
most singular compound of vanity, meek- 
ness, and ferocity — of devotion, supersti- 
tion, and ignorance. But, compared with 
other nations of Africa, she unquestionably 
holds a high station. She is superior in 
arts and in agriculture, in laws, religion, 
and social condition, to all the benighted 
children of the sun. The small portion of 
good which does exist may justly be as- 
cribed to the remains of the wreck of 
Christianity, which, although stranded on 
a rocky shore, and buffeted by the storms 
of ages, is not yet wholly overwhelmed ; 
and from the present degradation of a peo- 
ple avowing its tenets, may be inferred the 
lesson of the total inefficacy of its forms 
and profession if unsupported by enough of 
mental culture to enable its spirit and its 
truths to take root in the heart, and bear 
fruit in the character of the barbarian. 
There is, perhaps, no portion of the whole 
continent to which European civilization 
might be applied with better ultimate re- 
sults ; and although now dwindled into an 
ordinary kingdom, Habesh, under proper 
government and proper influence, might 
promote the amelioration of all the sur- 
rounding people, while she resumed her 



THE THREE NATURES OF CHRIST. 



283 



original position, as the first of African 
monarchies. 



CHAPTER CXI. 

THEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES. 

Ever since the arrival of the British 
embassy in Shoa, the king's attention had 
been occupied with controversies, which, 
during a period of sixty years, have per- 
plexed the Abyssinian divines. The voice 
of the herald and the beat of the kettle- 
drum were now gradually resolving the 
church into a form, by the establishment 
of opinions diametrically opposed to the 
historical facts and clear evidence of the 
Gospel ; and the summary deposition of 
refractory spiritual chiefs, and the- arbitrary 
confiscation of their worldly substance, 
having led to the successful introduction 
of many unsound doctrines, which his des- 
potic majesty conceives to be most condu- 
cive to salvation, he bids fair in due pro- 
cess of time to promulgate a most curious 
creed of his own. 

At the expense of a bloody civil war, 
Gondar, with Gojam, Damot, and all the 
southwestern provinces of Amhara, has 
long maintained the three births of Christ 
— Christ proceeding from the Father from 
all eternity, styled li the eternal birth ;" his 
incarnation, as being born of the holy Vir- 
gin, termed his " second or temporal birth ;" 
and his reception of the Holy Ghost in the 
womb, denominated his "third birth." The 
Tigre ecclesiastics, on the other hand, 
whose side is invariably espoused by the 
primate of Ethiopia, deny the third birth, 
upon the grounds that the reception of the 
Holy Ghost cannot be so styled — the opin- 
ions of both parties being at variance with 
the belief of the Occidental churches, 
which, on the evidence of the Gospel, be- 
lieve that our blessed Saviour received the 
Holy Ghost at his baptism in his thirtieth 
year, immediately prior to the commence- 
ment of his preaching. 

Further, the Gondar sectarians assert 
that Christ received the Holy Ghost by 
the Father, while those of Tigre affirm 
that, being God himself, he gave the Holy 
Ghost unto himself. This creed has ob- 
tained for the latter faction the opprobrious 
epithet of Kara Hdimanol, the knife of 
faith, in allusion to their having lopped off 
an acknowledged scriptural truth. 

Asfa Woosen, grandsire to Sahela Se- 
lassie, being assured by his father confes- 
sor, a native of Gondar, that in event of 
his embracing- the doctrine of the three 
19* 



births, the district of Morabeitie, already 
conquered by Emmaha Yasoos,but not at 
that period completely annexed to Efat, 
should be permanently secured to hin., 
through the spiritual influence of the church 
adopted it without hesitation. Until within 
the last few years the belief was limited to 
the monarchs of Shoa ; but the hospitality 
of the reigning sovereign attracting to his 
dominions numerous visitors from the 
north and west of Abyssinia, the latent 
flame was quickly fanned ; and the dis- 
pute reaching a great height, was at length 
brought before the despot, who put an end 
to it by issuing a royal proclamation, un- 
der the solitary tree at Angollala, " That 
he who should henceforth deny the three 
births of Christ, should forfeit his property 
and be banished the realm." 

Aroe, a eunuch from Gondar, shortly 
disseminated another curious doctrine, 
which asserts that the human soul posses- 
ses knowledge, fasts, and worships in the 
womb, and immediately on separation from 
the body renders an account on high. On 
the recent nomination of the Alaka Wol- 
da Georgis to be head of the church, and 
of Kidaana Wold to be the alaka of Deb- 
ra Libanos, three monks set out to Gondar 
for the purpose of denouncing them, as 
being opposed to this creed. Ras Ali, er- 
roneously concluding that they denied the 
three births, sent to Sahela Selassie to in- 
quire how it happened that he had seceded 
from the faith of his forefathers, by the 
appointment of the two individuals in 
question. Hereat the negoos waxing 
wroth, exclaimed, " Am I then the vassal 
of Ras Ali, that he thus interrogates me ?" 
But reflection showed him the propriety of 
avoiding a dispute which must have invol- 
ved serious consequences, and with his 
usual temporizing policy he sent a reply 
declaratory " that he had not abjured the 
belief of his ancestors." 

The monks of Debra Libanos having 
thus failed in their attempt to remove the 
newly appointed alakas, next sought to 
accomplish their purpose by the establish- 
ment of their creed throughout the king- 
dom, and gaining numerous proselytes, 
the dispute? had soon reached the climax. 
After fruitless efforts to satisfy the inte- 
rests of all concerned, his majesty sought 
to escape participation in the quarrel, by 
referring the parties to Gondar ; but Ze- 
nama Work, the queen-dowager, well as- 
sured that Ras Ali and the monks would 
decide against the sect whose doctrines 
she espouses, denied a passage through 
Zalla Dingai, and thus compelled the 
whole to returni to* Anfcober. 



284 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



As had been anticipated, this step re- 
sulted in the complete triumph of the 
Gondar eunuch, and the consequent, dis- 
missal with disgrace of the Alaka Wolda 
Georgis, chief of the church of Shoa, the 
alakas of St. Michael, St. George, Afer- 
beine, Kondie, Aramba, Debra Berhan, and 
Angollala ; of the king's confessor ; of 
Wolda Haimanot, styled Bala Wajnbar,* 
the great alaka of Mans, chief of thirty- 
eight churches, who possessed the privi- 
lege of sitting in the royal presence on an 
iron chair ; and of numerous other priests, 
whose property was confiscated by the 
crown, and who received sentence of ban- 
ishment from the kingdom. 

On the herald proclaiming, under the 
palace gate at the capital, that the belief of 
the knowledge of the human soul in the 
womb should henceforth be received by 
all classes, under similar pains and penal- 
ties, public thanksgivings were offered in 
the various churches ; and the priests, 
forming triumphant processions through 
every street of the town, chanted psalms 
amid the shrill acclamations of women, 
and the din of the sacred drums. The 
defeated party, on the other hand, com- 
plained loudly that they had been dismiss- 
ed without an impartial hearing ; the mon- 
arch having simply observed that the fact 
of their not proceeding to Gondar, as com- 
manded to do, sufficiently proved their 
error. This they disclaimed, and after re- 
questing to be convinced upon the Scrip- 
tures, added, " Will the king adjudge the 
faith as he adjudges movables and lands'?" 
But the despot cut the matter short in 
these words : — " Enough, you are dis- 
missed ; and since you will not receive the 
faith of my forefathers, by their names, 
and by the holy Trinity, I swear, that you 
may beg your bread through the land rath- 
er than that one of your creed should be 
received again into the bosom of the 
church." 

The success of the Debra Libanos sec- 
tarians was speedily followed by discus- 
sions relative to the equal adoration due 
to the holy Virgin ' and her son, while the 
despotic and ill-advised proceedings of his 
majesty raised a storm throughout the en- 
tire realm. The ban of excommunication 
was instantly resorted to — the curse of 
the church was pronounced upon the tri- 
umphant party — the priests who passed it, 
after having been seized and compelled to 
accord absolution, were expelled the king- 
dom — and a brave and courageous leader 
seemed alone wanting to induce those who 

* L e, " The master of the chair." 



had been defeated to raise the standard of 
revolt once more in a religious war. 



CHAPTER CXI I. 

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES. 

Abyssinia had for fifteen years been left 
without an archbishop, when Abba Salama, 
the primate nominated by the hundred and 
ninth occupant of the chair of St. Mark, 
arrived at Gondar to enter upon the func- 
tions of his sacred office. Thus raised at 
the early age of twenty-two years to the 
episcopal throne of Ethiopia, and vested 
with despotic powers, it is not a little for- 
tunate for the country that he should be 
possessed of abilities of a very superior 
order, arid that his mind should have been 
expanded by a liberal education at Cairo 
under a pious and learned missionary of 
the church of England.* 

One of the first steps of the new aboon 
was to depute a confidential servitor to 
Shoa, as the bearer of a letter of compli- 
ments to the British embassy. War had 
for some months past been raging on the 
western frontier betwixt Goshoo, the ruler 
of Gojam,and his son Birroo,who had risen 
in open rebellion ; and the messenger 
brought a confirmation of the long-rumored 
defeat of the former, and of the forces of 
Ras Ali, which had been sent to his assist- 
ance. The return of killed and wounded 
is, in this country, never suffered to fall 
short of the reality, and on the present oc- 
casion it had certainly not lost by the dis- 
tance it had travelled. 

" It was a little before nightfall," said 
the turbaned priest, " that the rival armies, 
countless as the blades of grass that wave 
on the bosom of the meadow, came in sight 
of each other at Ungatta, on the banks of 
the Suggara. Before the morning dawned, 
Birroo, who occupied the upper ground, 
moving down to the attack, secured the 
fords of the river. The action presently 
opened with a heavy fire of musketry and 
matchlocks, which did great execution. 
Five thousand warriors were slain — two 
thousand five hundred stand of arms were 
captured — Liban, who commanded, was, 
with several of his principal chiefs, taken 
prisoner — and Goshoo was compelled to 
seek the inviolable sanctuary afforded by 
the monastery of Dima Georgis. Five 
governors were hewn alive down the mid- 
dle ; and the cunqueror, after standing up 
to his neck in water for three days, as an 



* The iter. Dr. Leider. 



BILLETS FROM THE QUEEN— HAJJI MIRZA. 



285 



atonement for the slaughter he had com- 
mitted among a Christian people, sent to 
Ras Ali a horse curtailed of mane, tail, and 
ears, with a pair of new trowsers greatly- 
soiled, and a haughty message to the effect 
that these were but types of the fate that 
yet awaited his liege lord !" 

The month of January had now come 
round ; and the arrival of Queen Besabesh, 
who invariably precedes the movements of 
the court by one day, proclaimed the ad- 
vent of the negoos to celebrate at the capi- 
tal the festivities of the Abyssinian Christ- 
mas. Her majesty had become extremely 
indisposed from the long journey, and was 
desirous of receiving medical aid ; but it 
being contrary to the court etiquette that 
the royal consort should be seen by any 
male, an interview could not be accorded. 
Seated in a small closed tent, the hand of 
the illustrious patient was passed outside 
through a tiny aperture ; and, although 
eunuchs further embarrassed conversation, 
a condescending voice inquired, in reply to 
acknowledgments made at parting for ci- 
vilities received, " If I did not befriend the 
foreigners, pray who is there else to do so ?" 

Entertaining so bigoted an aversion to 
every Mohammadan custom, it cannot fail 
to appear singular that the licentious court 
of Shoa should have preserved one of the 
most objectionable — the seclusion of fe- 
males. Yet such is the extreme jealousy 
on this point that, although from the first 
arrival of the embassy the queen had ex- 
pressed herself in the most friendly terms, 
and almost daily sent through her maids 
of honor trifling presents of mead or bread, 
coupled with complimentary inquiries, and 
expressions of deep regret at the existing 
inability to receive a visit, an introduction, 
under any circumstances, was quite im- 
practicable. 

From day to day, however, the most cu- 
rious applications were still preferred for 
beads, trinkets, cloth, and perfumery, and 
the utmost disappointment was evinced at 
no demand being made in return. " I pos- 
sess honey and I possess butter, and have 
fowls and eggs in abundance," was the 
undeviating message. " Why do not my 
children ask for what they want ? All I 
have is theirs, for all that they have is 
mine !" 

Even when residing at a distance, com- 
missions were continually received through 
laconic notes on scrolls of parchment vary- 
ing in breadth from one inch to three, bear- 
ing neither signature nor superscription, 
and tightly rolled up in the end of an Abys- 
sinian candle. Their contents revealed 
some newly conceived fancy, such as might 



have been expected from a queen that eats 
raw beef. " The brass in your country is 
like gold," formed the sum and substance 
of one epistle, " and you might therefore 
order the bracelets to be made of the pat- 
tern sent by the hands of JDinkenich ;"* 
and again, " May this letter come to the 
hands of the English commander. Are you 
well ? are you quite well "J That the soap 
may not end quick, you will send it in large 
quantities, saith Besabesh." 

Not long after her majesty's arrival, an 
unfortunate child, recently purchased from 
a Gurague slave caravan, was sent to the 
residency, with a request that Hubsheeri 
might be exchanged for some clear salad 
oil which had met with especial approval 
"for medicine for the face ;" and great sur- 
prise was elicited by the information that 
such a course of proceeding would involve 
disgrace and criminality, inasmuch as the 
unchristian-like traffic in human beings is 
held in abhorrence beyond the great water. 
But in this matter the emabiet was not sin- 
gular. Certain of the courtiers, who con- 
sidered themselves under obligations, had 
previously tendered " strong Shankela 
slaves" as a Christmas gift, and all had 
been equally at a loss to comprehend the 
motive for refusal. 

Among the followers brought from India 
was a native of Caubool, who acted in ca- 
pacity of tailor, and his proficiency in the 
needle involved a most unreasonable tax 
upon his services. Day after day for weeks 
and months had he been in attendance at 
the palace ; and when at length, under the 
royal eye, he had completed a sumptuous 
bumoos,f on the elaborate embroidery of 
which half the treasures in the gemjdia 
house were recklessly lavished, the king, 
in the plenitude of his munificence, sent 
by the hands of Ayto Melkoo a shabby cot- 
ton cloth, value three shillings and six- 
pence, with a half starved goat, and a 
message that " it was Christmas, and the 
tailor might eat." 

Hajji Mirza was furious. " Take back 
these gifts to your shah," he growled in- 
dignantly ; " I want none of them. By the 
beard of the Prophet, I'm the son of a Pa- 
than ; and praise be to Allah, the meanest 
overseer of a village in Affghanistan is 
possessed of far greater liberality than Sa- 
hela Selassie." 

This tirade had fortunately been deliver- 
ed in a tongue not familiar to the ears of 
the king's master of the horse, who was 
meanwhile diligently occupied with the 

* i. e. "She is beautiful" — One of her majesty':; 
abigails. 

t Cloak. 






286 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Pathan's needle and scissors. Having 
taken the bag out of his hands, and ex- 
tracted a scrap of red cloth, he had care- 
fully fashioned a minute cross, which with 
elbows squared he was now proceeding to 
stitch over a hole in the lower part of his 
striped cotton robe. 

" Why do you do that ?" inquired the 
tailor, peevishly, in broken Amharic, not 
relishing the interference in his depart- 
ment, and anxious also to exhibit his own 
talents. "Let me darn it for you, and 
then there will be no blemish." 

" No," replied the party addressed, with 
great gravity, declining the proffered as- 
sistance. " Do n't you know that the hole 
has been burnt, and therefore that it must 
be repaired with another color ?" 

The Gyptzis' cuisinier had also been in 
frequent demand ; but although he was a 
bond fide Christian, and wore a " mateb" 
too, the king could never persuade himself 
to partake of any of the viands prepared 
by the Portuguese from Goa. Loaf sugar 
being employed in the manufacture of a 
Christmas cake, as his majesty sat watch- 
ing operations, the inquiry followed, as a 
matter of course, " How they made it 
white 1 Was the ox whose blood was 
employed killed in the name of the holy 
Trinity?" "Certainly not." "Then it 
might remain," was the abrupt rejoinder. 
" It doth not please me." 

The Abyssinians, assigning to the world 
an existence of 7334 years, refer the birth 
of Christ to the five thousand five hun- 
dreth after the creation. Thus eight years 
have been lost in the computation of time, 
and their Anno Domini 1834, corresponded 
with the Christian era 1842.* On Christ- 
mas eve the usual contest took place on 
the king's meadow, between the royal 
household and the dependents of the pur- 
veyor-general and the dech agafari. A 
cloth ball having been struck with a mall, 
a struggle for possession follows, and the 
party by which it is thrice caught in suc- 
cession being declared victorious, enjoys 
the privilege of abusing the vanquished, 
monarch only excepted, during the ensuing 
two days of festivity ; the first of which is 
celebrated by the male, the second by the 
female portion of the population. Every 
tongue is unloosed ; and the foulest slan- 
der may be heaped upon the illustrious, as 
well as' upon the holiest personages in the 
land. 

His majesty's partisans gained the day, 
and the embassy were summoned to the 
palace to witness their Christmas exhibi- 

* Christmas day fell on the 5th of January. 



tion. Filling the court-yard, they danced 
and recited before the throne couplets de- 
famatory of all the principal functionaries 
present, not omitting the lord bishop, who 
appeared to consider himself infinitely 
complimented by the vices whereof he 
stood accused. Bodily imperfections were 
not overlooked ; asses and dromedaries 
afforded frequent comparisons ; and the fat 
of the corpulent state jailer, who sat a 
witness to the festivities, was declared 
sufficient to light the entire capital during 
the approaching public entertainment, to 
be given at the expense of the defeated 
chiefs, which in riot and debauchery closed 
the disgraceful Saturnalia. 



CHAPTER CXIII. 

FEAST OF THE EPIFHANY. 

But by far the greatest holyday of the 
Abyssinian year is held on the Epiphany, 
styled Temkat,* when the baptism of our 
Lord, by John in the river Jordan, is com- 
memorated with extraordinary pomp. He 
who neglects to undergo the annual puri- 
fication enjoined on this day by the Ethio- 
pic church, is considered to carry with 
him the burden of every sin committed 
during the preceding twelve months ; and 
to be surely visited by sickness and mis- 
fortune ; whereas those who perfom the 
rite are believed to have emerged thor- 
oughly cleared and regenerated. 

On the evening preceding this festival, 
the priests of all the churches in Ankober 
and the environs, carrying the holy tabots 
under gaudy canopies, assembled in the 
open space, termed Arada, immediately in 
front of the palace. Here, according to 
custom, they were received by the gov- 
ernor of the town, who, after falling pros- 
trate on his face before the arks, escorted 
the procession to the river Airara — the 
clergy dancing and singing, while the fe- 
male portion of the inhabitants lined the 
hill-side, to indulge in the shrillest exulta- 
tion. A tent for each church had been 
erected on the bank ; and after the com- 
pletion of a temporary dam across the 
stream, the night was spent in chanting 
appropriate hymns and psalms. 

Long before dawn, the pent up waters 
having been blessed by the officiating 
priest, the entire population, the young, 
the old, the wealthy, and the indigent, 
gathered from many miles round, casting 

* i. e. Baptism. 



THE HOLY SUPPER— LUSTRATION. 



28T 



ofTlheir habiliments, flocked promiscuously 
into the pool — even babes who were unable 
to totter being thrown in by their naked 
mothers. Not the slightest modesty was 
evinced by either sex, all mingling together 
in a state of perfect nudity under the light 
of innumerable torches and flambeaux, 
which shed the broad glare of day over the 
disgraceful scene, the actors wherein af- 
fected to receive from above blindness to 
each other's shame. 

Having partaken of the holy supper, the 
multitude proceeded to devour a pile of 
loaves, and to drain accumulated pitchers 
of beer, supplied by the neigboring gover- 
nors. Here too the most indecent excesses 
were committed. Declaring themselves to 
have swallowed a specific against intoxica- 
tion, the clergy indulge to any extent they 
please, and each priest, vying with his 
brother in the quantities he shall quaff, 
avers that if " the whole of the Lord's 
bread and the Lord's wine " be not con- 
sumed on the spot, a famine will arise 
throughout the land ! 

Festivities terminated, the officiating 
dignitaries, robed and mitred, preceded the 
holy arks and canopies in grand procession 
to the capital, singing hallelujahs. Holding 
in their left hand cymbals in imitation of 
David, and in the right the ecclesiastical 
staff, wherewith various absurd gesticula- 
tions are described, they danced and sang 
for some time in front of the palace gate. 
As usual, the performance displayed the 
most uncouth attitudes, and the least grace- 
ful figures. The beard and the crutch, 
and the aged face, and the sacred calling, 
were but ill in unison with the mounte- 
bank capers undertaken ; and the actors 
rather resembled masks at the carnival 
than holy functionaries of the church. 

" The foxes have holes, and the birds of 
the air have nests," is a passage of Scrip- 
ture which the clergy of Shoa interpret to 
their own advantage. " Who are the 
foxes," they invariably inquire, " but the 
kings and the governors of the land, who 
seek only after worldly vanities ? and who 
the birds but the priests and bishops, who 
in hymns and hallelujahs thus fly upward, 
and build their nests in heaven ?" 

The clergy are distinguished from the 
laity by a beard, and by a monstrous white 
turban, impeding free motion of the head. 
This encumbrance is designed to com- 
memorate the event of Moses covering his 
face on his descent from the Mount, when 
he had received the tables of the law. 
Their sacred persons are usually shrouded 
in a black woollen cloak, studded with em- 
blems of the faith, and furnished with a 



peaked hood. The sacerdotal vest was 
first embroidered by command of Hatz6 
David, the father of St. Theodorus, to com- 
memorate the arrival from Jerusalem of a 
fragment of the true cross on which Christ 
died ; and officiating priests are expected 
to appear in one of these, composed either 
of scarlet cloth, or an aggregate of party- 
colored drapery. 

A silver or brazen cross and a slender 
crutch are the never-failing companions of 
the priest; and on all occasions of cere- 
mony, such as the present, the mitre, the 
censer, and the great umbrellas are con- 
spicuous objects. Long rods furnished 
with streaming pennants, manufactured of 
the light pith of the juwarree in alternating 
bands of red and white, were carried by 
the host of dirty boys who swelled the pro- 
cession ; and after the labors of the day 
were over, these emblems of regeneration 
were hung up in the churches as votive 
offerings. Dispersing after the exhibition* 
under a salvo of musketry to their respec- 
tive churches, individuals, who from any 
unavoidable circumstance had been pre- 
cluded from participating in the general 
immersion, were there baptized, males and 
females being alike divested of every por- 
tion of apparel, and plunged into a large 
reservoir prepared for their reception. 

Four years had elapsed since Sahela 
Selassie underwent this lustration, wherein 
he was wont annually to participate, but 
from which he is now held exempt in con- 
sideration of the height of his power. Al- 
though in a state of perfect nudity, a cloth 
was held around him during the ceremony 
— a privilege to which neither virgins nor fe- 
males of the highest rank are ever admitted. 

Pots and pans that have been defiled by 
the unclean touch of a Mohammadan, are 
on this day purified by immersion in the 
water that has been blessed by the priest. 
Among many other superstitions there ex- 
ists a firm belief, that all mules and horses 
that are not led forth to exercise on the 
festival of Temkat will die during the en- 
suing year. It is considered to be " a day 
of great splendor ;" and on pain of excom- 
munication, every good Christian is bound 
to appear clad in his best habiliments, and 
in all the trinkets he can muster, that he 
may prostrate himself before the ark which 
he has adopted. 

If enforced with rigor, excommunication 
is in fact a capital punishment, for it is 
interdictio aqua el igni. No one can speak 
to, or eat, or drink with the proscribed 
person, nor even enter his house. The 
offender can neither buy nor sell, nor visit. 
He cannot recover debts. He may be mur- 



288 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



dered at pleasure by any ruffian who will 
take the trouble to cut his throat, and 
when dead his body cannot be buried. 

The bell, book, and candle are to be 
hired by any disappointed enemy, and the 
hooded priest may be purchased to perform 
the ceremony ; but the undertaking in some 
cases is not without its attendant danger. 
The cells of the state prison frequently in- 
close the rash fanatic who wantonly inter- 
feres with the royal salvation. Scanty fare 
and close confinement eventually insure 
absolution, and the martyr to religious in- 
tolerance is summarily banished from the 
realm. Another powerful antidote is found 
in the argumentum baculinum, which when 
persuasively applied to the shoulders of 
arrogant church pride, by the sturdy sinews 
of Europe especially, possesses a wonderful 
efficacy in allaying the storm. 

A century has not elapsed since excom- 
munication was performed upon one of the 
fair sons of the North. The turbaned 
bearer of the bell, book, and candle, was 
quietly introduced into the domicile, and 
his countenance fell as he perceived the 
object of his visit armed with a formidable 
cudgel. " My father must have been mis- 
taken," was the exordium that greeted his 
astounded ear, as the staff descended with 
an equally startling salutation — " My father 
never could have proposed the excommu- 
nication of his dear friend." Again the 
weapon pattered upon the priestly back ; 
and during full five minutes an able run- 
ning commentary was supported by fre- 
quent playful taps over the head, to quicken 
the clerical understanding. This powerful 
appeal concluded, the crest-fallen function- 
ary willingly withdrew his ban, and bestow- 
ing entire absolution, slunk back to his 
cell, mentally resolved to interfere no more 
with the incomprehensible European, who 
neither displayed terror at the curse of the 
church, nor entertained respect for the sa- 
cred persons of her ministers. 

Unquies, the Bishop of Shoa, had long 
meditated the adoption of extreme meas- 
ures toward the British escort, whom he 
declared no better than Mohammadans, 
since it was notorious that they did not 
kneel when the holy ark passed, and had 
no hesitation in partaking of flesh slaught- 
ered by an infidel, instead of in the name 
of the holy Trinity. No one, however, 
could be found sufficiently bold to under- 
take the customary process where the Irish 
soldier was concerned ; and the king's 
"strong monk " had been fain at length to 
content himself with the clandestine pro- 
mulgation of his spiritual denunciation for 
the many heresies committed. 



The honorary distinctions conferred by 
the monarch for the destruction of the ele- 
phant first produced a good effect, which 
was still increased by the presentation of 
the silver shield that distinguishes the high- 
est functionaries in the land ; and although 
the opinions of the clergy generally were 
still far from favorable, there was a certain 
influential priest who invariably found it 
convenient to pass the long dreary even- 
ings over the residency fire. The pious 
father evinced no disinclination to partici- 
pate in the good things of this world ; and 
while sipping his strong drink, it was his 
delight to speculate upon scriptural grounds 
whether the skin of Eve was really white 
or black, and to prove that locusts could 
never have been tasted by John the Bap- 
tist, because they formed the food of the 
unclean Mohammadan. 

Edifying topics such as these were doubt- 
less handled with greater eloquence than 
either abstinence, or the mortification of the 
flesh. Proceeding on his annual visit to 
Debra Libanos, the principal resort of those 
who prey upon the credulity of the public, 
the devout father at length stood voluntarily 
forward as the advocate of the Gyptzis ; 
and so eloquently did he explain away the 
non-observance of fasts and other imputed 
heresies, that a wax taper whereof he had 
been made the bearer was actually lighted 
in the sanctuary of Saint Tekla Haimanot, 
and an immediate revulsion thereby created 
in the ecclesiastical sentiments entertained 
throughout the entire realm. 



CHAPTER CXIV. 

EXCURSION TO BERHUT, ON THE SOUTH- 
EASTERN FRONTIER OF SHOA. 

It was an object of great geographical 
importance, that the flying survey of the 
kingdom of Shoa should be completed by 
a visit to the country forming the boundary 
to the southeast, famous for its numerous 
volcanoes, recently in full activity, and 
hitherto untrodden in any part by European 
foot. A pretext presented itself in the ex- 
istence of the wild buffalo in the lower dis- 
tricts ; but it was necessary, in the first 
instance, to overcome the royal scruples, 
which would have precluded participation 
in the chase of that animal. This end was 
at length attained ; and the despot being 
made to comprehend that his children ran 
less risk of being demolished than he had 
formerly chosen to believe, vouchsafed the 
desired permission. The requisite instruc- 
tions were issued to men in authority to 



THE MESSENGER— THE RIVER AIRARA. 



289 



promote the views of those " whom the king 
delightcth to honor ;" and, preceded by 
Queen Besabesh, his majesty then set out 
on his annual visit to Mesur Meder. 

" There is one point," observed his ma- 
jesty, when the embassy took leave, " on 
which I wanted to consult you. The lo- 
custs are destroying the crops, and the 
priests have been unable by their prayers 
to arrest their progress. Have you no 
medicine to drive them away ?" 

Ayto Wolda Hana, under whose imme- 
diate orders are all the second-class gov- 
ernors in the realm, had received com- 
mands to summon to Ankober the Misley- 
ni,* or vice governor, of Berhut and of the 
plains lying between the Casam and the 
Ha wash — a tract inhabited partly by the 
Adaiel, whose nominal fealty is preserved 
through the influence of Wulasma Mo- 
hammad, and partly by the Karaiyo Galla, 
over whom the negoos asserts more sub- 
stantial jurisdiction. But many days elap- 
sed without any efficient arrangements be- 
ing made ; and Deftera Seena, chief of 
the king's scriveners, having after twelve 
hours of close application, contrived to com- 
plete a written representation to the throne, 
a courier was dispatched with it on horse- 
back to the royal camp. No Abyssinian 
will ever think of declaring himself the 
bearer of an express, unless pointedly 
questioned on that head, nor will he then 
relinquish possession until distinctly order- 
ed so to do. On the return of the special 
messenger, who had been three days ab- 
sent on the service confided to him, a di- 
rect application for the answer was follow- 
ed by none of the usual fumbling among 
the folds of the girdle for the tiny scroll in 
its wax envelope ; and the caitiff was final- 
ly fain to confess that on being summoned 
to the presence of his sovereign at Mesur 
Meder, and commanded to deliver up the 
document wherewith he had been charged, 
he for the first time recollected that it had 
been inadvertently left behind at Ankober ! 

But a peasant, who fortunately chanced 
upon the missing parchment by the road- 
side, had carried it, in accordance with the 
immutable law of the realm, straightway 
to the king, who, immediately upon be- 
coming aware of the contents, and long 
before Deftera Seena had completed a du- 
plicate copy, and without any further refe- 
rence on the subject, deputed Mamrie Sa- 
lomon, now chief of the eunuchs, to see his 
royal will carried into instant effect. A 
number of tribute-bearers from Berhut 
were fortunately on the point of returning 

* Lit. " Like myself." 



to their district ; and the baggage having 
been delivered over for transportation, the 
party quitted the capital on a cold morning 
toward the close of March. 

Immediately beyond the church dedica- 
ted to Aboo, one of the most celebrated of 
Abyssinian saints, the path struck off to 
the southward along the course of the 
Airara, which from the diminutive mill- 
stream of the Chaka soon assumes a more 
brawling demeanor ; and receiving numer- 
ous tributaries from the mountains on 
either side, proceeds onward through a 
deep precipitous channel in the trap rock, 
which wears the appearance of having been, 
artificially fashioned by the chisel of the 
stone-cutter. The valley traversed is ex- 
tremely varied in width, extending in some 
parts from six to seven miles, while in oth- 
ers it is reduced to a mere ravine by the 
converging spurs of the two great ranges 
which limit its meanderings. Through- 
out, the scenery is tame, the cliffs being 
flat and naked, and the vegetation, in its 
russet garb, restricted to a small scrubby 
species of dwarf acacia, interspersed with 
the euphorbia styled kolqual — the charcoal 
obtained from which is preferred in the 
manufacture of gunpowder. But where- 
soever the plough could be held, there the 
hand of industry had been busy, and for the 
first eight miles there was little remaining 
of waste or uncultivated soil. 

In these parts the rains descend with 
extreme violence ; and having, in the first 
instance, scooped up and carried away all 
the rotten debris, each succeeding deluge 
has added its mining activity and perseve- 
rance, until the entire mountain range for 
miles, presents the singular appearance of 
an endless succession of perfectly isolated 
cones, the apices of many being crowned 
by villages, or by the dwellings of great 
men, while the sloping sides are smoothed 
and levelled with the utmost nicety. The 
valley is thickly peopled, flourishing ham- 
lets peeping out in every direction ; but, 
as in other parts of the country, the best 
of the land, whether arable or pasture, per- 
tains to the crown — Bukerfine, one of the 
richest farms in the district, having been 
conferred upon Mist Malifia, a royal con- 
cubine, by whom the king has a favorite 
daughter. 

High over the valleys, and perched 
among the few remaining groves on the 
very summit of the range, stand the seats 
of the second great power of the state. 
Churches and monasteries dotting the cool 
shady peaks, are far elevated in all the 
pride of place above the residences of the 
common herd — their localities no doubt 



290 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



tending to rivet the chain which encircles 

the neck of the infatuated Abyssinian. 
Priestly intimations issuing from a temple 
often shrouded from human ken under im- 
penetrable fog, are received with increased 
attention, and the thunder of excommu- 
nication commands utter abasement and 
prostration of spirit when fulminated from 
the grand scene of elementary strife, and 
falling upon the ear of the awe-stricken 
serf amid the prolonged echoes of the con- 
firming artillery of heaven. The reve- 
nues of many of the villages passed, are 
appropriated to the cathedral of St. Michael 
in Ankober. 

A few hours' journey had substituted 
the heat of a tropical climate for the cool 
alpine breezes of the mountains ; and the 
momentarily increasing temperature was 
sufficiently convincing of the rapid decli- 
nation of the route, even had it not led 
along the banks of the Airara, which, hav- 
ing been crossed and recrossed a dozen 
times, was now tumbling down through a 
succession of foaming cascades, with a 
sound most refreshing to the ear. Emerg- 
ing at length from its walls of columnar 
basalt, it is joined by the Kubanoo. bearing 
a large body of water from the west, it ex- 
pands into a broad channel, and is employ- 
ed in irrigating the extensive cotton plan- 
tations which everywhere abound on its 
borders. The stream is diverted by a sim- 
ple pile of pebbles ; but the elevated aque- 
ducts, somewhat ingeniously termed mus- 
selal icaha "the water-ladder," are con- 
structed with infinite care, and passing 
frequently along narrow ledges, are widen- 
ed by means of wooden tressels supporting 
a trough of brushwood and shingle. A 
sufficient supply is thus raised to nurture 
the magnificent cotton plants, the stems 
of many of which measuring seven, eight, 
and nine inches in girth, support a crop 
that, arriving at maturity, keeps ample 
pace with these gigantic proportions. 

Shortly after the accession of Sahela Se- 
lassie, his majesty marched to the Kubanoo, 
for the purpose of holding a conference 
with the Ada'iel ; and his armory being in 
those days by no means so well furnished 
as it now is, the array of old matchlocks 
was regarded by the Moslems with the ut- 
most contempt and derision. A rush was 
made during the night upon the royal camp 
— many of the Christians were slain — and 
while the remnant, with their youthful sove- 
reign, fled in dismay to the stronghold of 
the capital, the treacherous assailants re- 
turned undisturbed in triumph to their des- 
ert plains. 

Kittel Yellish, the village at which it 



was proposed to halt, had been represented 
by the guides to be situated within a very 
moderate march of Ankober ; but the Abys- 
sinians possess not a better idea of the 
measure of distance than of the value of 
time ; and, after eight hours passed in the 
saddle, refuge was taken about sunset in 
the Moslem hamlet of Manyo, a cluster of 
huts crowning the summit of a cone, and 
overlooking a wild uncultivated tract, in- 
tersected by a labyrinth of tremendous 
ravines, arched over by the thorny branches 
of the acacia, and other vegetation of a 
strictly tropical aspect. Swine, agazin, 
and some of the smaller species of antelope, 
here abound to such an extent, that the 
peasants attempt no crop but cotton, ex- 
changing the raw wool for what they need 
of other produce. The village was strong- 
ly fortified in all directions against the in- 
roads of the leopard and hyena, by palisades 
inclosing a stiff thorn fence ; and there be- 
ing no room even for the smallest tent, the 
night was passed in a shed rudely thatched 
with the leaves of the papyrus, which would 
not have been tenable for five minutes in the 
alpine regions quitted in the morning. 



CHAPTER CXV. 

THE ROYAL GRANARY AT DUMMAKOO 

Considerable difficulty was experien- 
ced in satisfying the exorbitant demands of 
the virago who owned this comfortless 
hovel, and whose reception of the king's 
guests, as representative of her absent hus- 
band, to whose charge the hamlet had been 
confided, was neither hospitable nor flat- 
tering. For a full hour after the arrival 
of the party, this wrinkled beldame, stand- 
ing in the dark porch of her adjacent house, 
had exerted her cracked voice in a tissue 
of shrill comments levelled against the im- 
propriety of entering private demesnes un- 
announced ; and the first crowing of the 
cock invited a renewal of her far from me- 
lodious clamor, which was only silenced by 
the jingle of silver crowns. 

The road now descended to the Umptoo, 
which takes its source in the lofty moun- 
tain Assagud, and thence winds through 
numerous rapid currents down the broad 
stony bed. Cotton in its most perfect state 
of cultivation clothed all the level terraces. 
The papyrus, here as in Egypt designated 
plieela, fringed the banks of the stream in 
close thick patches ; the honey-sucker, ar- 
rayed in green and gold, flashed in the 
morning sun, as it darted among the flow- 






SULPHUR MINES— BERHUT. 



291 



ering" acacias ; birds of Tare plumage filled 
the tangled brushwood ; and the fantastic 
forms of the circumjacent mountains en- 
hanced the beauty of the wild scene. But 
every man's hand was armed for strife. 
The peasant carried spear and shield, and 
wore the sword girded to his loins ; and 
the site of his habitation had been carefully 
selected with a long look out on all sides 
as a precaution against attack and inva- 
sion. 

Leaving the bed of the river, which 
measured some eighty yards across, the 
path ascended a ridge running east and 
west, and deriving its appellation from the 
conspicuous peaks of Golultee and Demsee. 
To the eastward, through a wide gap in the 
mountains, could be seen a long reach of 
the Airara, now expanded into a noble river, 
by the junction of the Umptoo, and glitter- 
ing under its numberless channels, which 
bear in the rains a vast volume of water to 
the Casam, to be poured eventually into the 
Hawash. From the summit of the pass in 
the direction of Ankober, a strange view 
extended for a distance of thirty or forty 
miles — a broken abyss of hill tops seeming 
as though the waves of the troubled ocean 
had been suddenly petrified in their pro- 
gress — Mamrat, the monster billow, tow- 
ering above all in the far horizon, as the 
last barrier arrested in full career. 

The belt of rugged hills of limestone 
slate through which the course lay, is an 
almost uninhabited waste of neutral ground, 
forming the boundary betwixt the Christian 
and Moslem subjects of Shoa. A few goats 
alone found a sufficiency of food among the 
scanty leaves of the now withered acacias; 
and the human denizens of the soil were 
wild as their rocky mountains. Fleeing 
at the approach of the white men, they 
took up a secure position on the very sum- 
mit of the loftiest peaks, and looked down 
with evident mistrust upon the cavalcade, 
which was sufficiently well armed, and 
formidable in point of number, to instil 
terror into the bosom of all conscious of the 
wrath of princes, and of lawful tribute rash- 
ly withheld. The termination of this sul- 
try range forms an abutment upon the coun- 
try of the Ada'iel, whence is derived all the 
sulphur employed in the manufacture of 
gunpowder in the royal arsenals ; and spe- 
cimens which were picked up by the way 
would lead to the inference that the vein 
continued even beyond the point of crossing. 

Like that of the Umptoo, the bed of the 
Korie, another tributary of the Casam to 
which the road next descended, is bordered 
with luxuriant cotton cultivation, and in 
many parts overgrown with tangled papy- 



rus. Shut in by a deep valley, it threads 
the mountainous district of Dingai-terri, 
and many wild bananas were seen luxuri- 
ating on its moist banks. The dusty path 
led on through a jungle composed chiefly 
of a bastard description of Balm of Gilead., 
which being crushed under the foot, scent- 
ed the whole atmosphere. Near the Mos- 
lem cemetery, below Kittel Yellish, the 
civility of the governor of the district was 
displayed in the purveyance, on skins be- 
neath the trees, of every article considered 
necessary for Christian sustenance during 
this most holy season of Lent — bread, beer, 
and water proving truly acceptable to the 
Abyssinian followers, already much dis- 
tressed by the intense heat of a nearly 
vertical sun, to which they were so little 
inured. A wild roguish-looking Moslem 
dervish, decked in a rosary of large brown 
berries, and carrying a staff of truly por- 
tentous dimensions, here introduced him- 
self as an acquaintance made many months 
previously at Dathara, upon which grounds 
he considered himself entitled to share in 
the repast. Leading a roving and an idle 
life, and armed with scrip and water-flagon, 
he had for years subsisted upon the alms 
of the superstitious followers of the Proph- 
et ; and if judgment might be formed from 
his sleek exterior, they had not been nig- 
gard of their contributions. 

Lofty, gray, weather-worn precipices, 
down which the mountain torrents had left 
visible traces of their headlong course, 
now rose over deep semi-circular basins 
by the way-side, a formation of limestone 
cut into ruts being .occasionally visible be- 
neath a thick stratum of basalt. In the 
bed of the Meynso, cool sheltered caves 
and a bubbling brook afforded inviting shel- 
ter to the weary porters, and a more level 
tract was then gained, over which a gallop 
of five miles led to Dummakoo, one of the 
royal granaries, where, by his majesty's 
commands, the head-quarters were to be 
establi&hed. 

This village, constructed on a knoll three 
thousand feet below the level of Ankober, 
is situated in a fine, open, undulating 
country, well populated, and intersected 
by numerous milk-bush hedges. Richly 
cultivated, and scoured by a cool breeze, 
it afforded a most agreeable contrast to the 
barren sultry hills through which the 
course had lain. The cloud-enveloped 
dome of the great beacon Mamrat still 
towered obscurely in the hazy distance. 
In the intervening space, abounding with 
coal, lay the lofty range of Bulga and 
Mentshar, rising to the extinguisher-like 
cone of Megasus, and at its foot sank the 






292 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



valley of the Casam, which was to form 
the scene of coming operations. 

One of the king's numerous magazines 
for grain and farm produce extends its long 
barn-like front in the centre of the hamlet, 
every house of which is screened by a tall 
green hedge ; and that the safety of the 
royal stores has been alone consulted in 
the selection of the site, is sufficiently 
proved by the fact of the inhabitants being 
compelled to drive their cattle many miles 
on either side for their daily draught of 
water, while the long-tressed Mohamma- 
dan damsels are fain to trudge with a 
heavy jar at their back to a remote pool, 
carefully fenced and barricadoed. 

All agricultural operations of the fertile 
environs of Berhut, comprising one of his 
majesty's best grain farms, are annually 
performed by the surrounding population 
en masse. Several heavy showers which 
had recently fallen having fully prepared 
the ground for the reception of the seed, 
a vast concourse of rustics had collected 
from the entire district — the inhabitants of 
each hamlet bringing their own oxen and 
implements of husbandry : so that in the 
course of a very few hours many hundred 
acres, already ploughed, were sown and 
harrowed by their united efforts, the praises 
of the despot being loudly sung throughout 
the continuance of the tributary labor, 
which is similarly exacted in all parts of 
the kingdom. 

On the crop arriving at maturity, a sheaf 
is cut and presented in token of joy to the 
governor of the district. The reaping and 
threshing again call for the assembly of 
the agricultural population ; and the har- 
vest-home having been celebrated with 
suitable festivity, the accessions to the 
royal granaries are duly registered by 
scribes delegated on the part of the crown. 
Upon a rising ground, about a mile from 
Dummakoo, is held the monthly market of 
the district. Tradition asserts, that one 
of the inhabitants of a neighboring hamlet 
saw in a dream that the Imam Abdool 
Kadur, appearing upon this hill, picked 
up a stone, and in a loud voice proclaimed 
that the spot belonged henceforth to him- 
self ; and no sooner had the pious disciple 
of the Prophet declared his vision, than 
the site was adopted by the unanimous 
voice of the assembled multitude for the 
celebration of the bazaar, which, in the 
lapse of a few generations, has become 
one of considerable importance. 

Almost immediately upon arrival a visit 
was received from Habti Mariam,* the 

* i. e. The property of the Virgin. 



vice-governor, whose residence is at Wur- 
doo, the principal village of the Berhut 
district. He explained that his non-ap- 
pearance to escort the party from Ankober 
had arisen from severe opthalmia, con- 
tracted during a recent visit to the hot low 
country. Some very potent amulets had 
been now attached to various parts of his 
body in order to remove the disorder ; and 
the good man was moreover provided with 
a large raw onion, with which he rubbed 
his eyes alternately during the interview. 

It has already been mentioned that the 
influence of Wulasma Mohammad extends 
along the whole of the Moslem districts of 
the eastern frontier ; and it had now been 
advantageously exerted in the dispatch of 
a body of his immediate retainers, com- 
manded first to announce to the Adaiel on 
the border, the intention entertained of 
visiting their country, and afterward to 
escort the party thither. In order to coun- 
teract any offensive demonstration to which 
this unusual excursion might give rise, 
Habti Mariam had issued orders to assem- 
ble his levy, in accordance with strict in- 
junctions received from his royal master, 
to secure the safety of his " European 
children," upon penalty of loss of liberty 
and government. The greatest difficulty 
was, however, experienced in persuading 
his followers to undertake the much-dread- 
ed journey to the lower regions, as well 
from their unanimous detestation of the 
intense heat, as their innate dread of the 
lawless population ; and he was finally 
compelled to put them to the blush by a dec- 
laration of his resolve to perform the king's 
behest at all risks in his own person ; 
when a handful of the boldest setting the 
example, the lists were speedily filled to 
the number of two hundred and fifty, which 
force had been considered by the negoos 
as sufficient for the excursion. 



CHAPTER CXVI. 

ADEN ON THE CASAM RIVER, THE TERRI- 
TORY OF THE ADEL SUB-TRIBE GAREEM- 
RA DAMOOSA. 

A canopy of thick clouds clinging to 
the high hills of Ankober, had indicated 
that the rain still continued to deluge the 
more elevated regions ; but on the wide 
undulating plains of Berhut, the thermom- 
eter in the tents stood at 105° ; and al- 
though the sky was occasionally overcast 
in the morning, the sun shone with due 
iropical fervor up to the day fixed for de- 



ii 



THE DODOTI PASS— A CONFERENCE. 



293 



parture to the low country. It was still 
dark when the cavalcade filed past the 
church of St. George, which, ornamented 
with a triangle of ostrich eggs as a spire, 
stands at the extremity of the village ; and 
as every Abyssinian lip in succession sa- 
luted with a pious kiss the rough bark of 
the kolqual trees, by which it was fenced 
round, many a vow was made in propitia- 
tion of safe return from the dangerous 
expedition. 

Dawn of day found the party at the ter- 
mination of the tract of table land claimed 
by the crown ; and the sun, as he rose be- 
hind the lofty peak of Assibote, lighted the 
descent by the Dodoti pass, a winding path 
overhanging the valleys, which still lay in 
darkness. Commanding a boundless pros- 
pect over the burning plains below, it leads 
by a very judiciously selected line, with a 
gradual descent of eighteen hundred feet, 
over mountain ridges rapidly diminishing 
in height to the foot of the Abyssinian 
range, where, watered by the Casam, 
stretches the Adel district of Aden. Brown, 
barren, and sparingly wooded, the entire 
intervening space is broken by deep hol- 
lows and ravines ; and beyond, wild, deso- 
late, and hot, and surrounded by extensive 
white desert tracts, rise the isolated craters 
of Saboo and Fantali. 

Although waterless, the entire moun- 
tain-side is well peopled by Mohammadan 
subjects of Shoa, whose progenitors, ar- 
riving from the country of the sun, with 
the great invader Graan, selected this as 
the location most congenial to their habits, 
and with it bequeathed to their descend- 
ants, all the ancestral aversion to a cold 
climate. A stronger and more athletic 
race than the Amhara, the dark-eyed fe- 
males nevertheless present features far 
more feminine and agreeable than their 
coarse highland sisters ; and withal are far 
more becomingly attired. The hot dusty 
hamlets and scattered farm houses, which 
crown many of the peaks, are surrounded 
by extensive cultivation. The square 
domiciles, constructed of loose stones with 
mud terraces, afford sufficient accommo- 
dation, both for owner and cattle ; and the 
rich stores of grain, proclaim a life of in- 
dustry and abundance. 

The retinne of the governor increased 
rapidly with his advance. Every hamlet 
now poured forth its quota; and before 
reaching the Fotah river, he mustered full 
four hundred retainers, a rude feudal host 
of horse and foot. For some miles the 
road wound along the dry channel of the 
mountain torrent, the banks rising on either 
side steep and perpendicular, so as to form 



a deep chasm, partially obstructed by huge 
masses that had been precipitated from 
above. Here and there a solitary Karaiyo 
hamlet met the eye — the flocks and herds 
assembled in the neighborhood of the only 
well, around which the greasy maidens, in 
rude leathern petticoats, fearlessly drew 
water, proclaiming a district dependent 
upon Shoa. Debouching at length upon 
the plain of the Casam, the still increased 
temperature was at once perceptible ; and 
the feeble breeze stirring could not be felt 
through the mass of acacias and wild aloe 
which in full blossom covered the entire 
face of the country. 

Habti Mariam here confided his curly 
locks to the hands of an attendant barber, 
and his example was followed by a weather- 
beaten old warrior, covered with silver de- 
corations for valor, who had lost an eye by 
the spear of the Galla, but had just joined 
the party, looking with the other as if he 
intended to take an active part in the chase. 
An hour through the low jungle revealed 
the river at a point where the width is from 
seventy to eighty yards, a strong stream of 
turbid water running through a rocky chan- 
nel, in parts overgrown with groves of 
tamarisk. Skirting the northern bank a 
considerable distance over hot loose boul- 
ders and hard volcanic terraces, a promi- 
nent height was next gained, whence the 
view extended over the lowest valley 
threaded by the well wooded Casam, the 
whole reach of which was covered with 
great herds of horned cattle. 

Here the cavalcade halted, and was pre- 
sently joined, from a group of Adel wig- 
wams, by Godana, one of the braves of the 
Gareemra Damoosa, carrying a broad-head- 
ed spear, and wearing his lank hair twisted 
into thin cords. A long and animated 
conference ensued, through the medium of 
an interpreter ; in the course of which it 
was set forth, on the part of the puissant 
warrior, that the appearance of so large a 
body of the Amhara had led his tribe to 
apprehend hostilities ; that their flocks and 
herds were grazing in the vale below, 
peaceably tended by their young men and 
maidens ; and that as the unwonted descent 
of such a host of Christians could not fail 
to create great alarm, he was desirous, be- 
fore authorizing further advance, to be more 
distinctly apprised of the nature and object 
of the visit. It was explained by the gov- 
ernor, " that the sole intention was to hunt 
buffaloes — that the white men were the 
special guests of the king ; and having al- 
ready slain elephants at Giddem, his maj- 
esty sought to honor his friends the Ada'fel, 
by the performance of equally extraordinary 



294 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



feats in their country— concluding with the 
assurance that the fear of the Ittoo Galla 
havino- alone dictated the presence of so 
many = followers, both Godana and his peo- 
ple might rest satisfied that the visit was 
in good faith, and perfectly pacific." 

The cattle having first been driven to a | 
distance, the Christian chivalry were final- I 
ly, after much demur, permitted to descend 
into the bed of the Casam, and there to en- 
joy the shelter afforded by groves of spread- 
ing tamarinds which grace its shady banks, 
the elders of the tribe being meanwhile 
summoned to debate the subject more fully. 
Parties of the Adel population of the ad- 
joining district of Desse now sauntered up 
by threes and fours, and tall, gaunt, mea- 
gre savages they were— their loins girded 
by a scant and filthy rag, but each equipped 
with a serviceable creese, a battered shield, 
and a spear decked with some trophy of 
the chase. The scowling downcast eye, 
habituallv half closed against the glare of 
their parched plains— the dissatisfaction so 
legibly written on every face — the sun- 
burnt bushy wag — the pinched features — 
the loose scambling gait — the air of inso- 
lent independence — and not least, the rank 
disagreeable odor— all combined to pro- 
claim them members of the great family 
peopling this sultry desert for hundreds of 
miles, and differing but slightly in manners 
or in appearance throughout the entire ot 
the wide extended tract. 

In the course of another fierce palaver, 
it was intimated that many expected to die 
before the affair should be terminated ; but 
the promise of handsome remuneration to 
survivors, in case of casualty, worked suc- 
cessfully upon Adel cupidity. After de- 
vouring a supply of bread that had been 
provided for the European party, and to 
those who till not the ground, forms an un- 
heard of luxury, they unanimously express- 
ed their resolution of acceding to the royal 
wishes, and of leading the way to their 
choicest preserves. Greatly to the horror 
of Moslem antipathy, the river had mean- 
while been dragged of many of its finny 
inhabitants by the Amhara, who are per- 
mitted to eat fish ad libitum, although pro- 
hibited from touching either flesh or fowl 
during the severe penance enjoined 
throughout the tedious fast of Lent. 

Under the guidance of a party selected 
by the tribe, the route was now continued 
along the bank of the river; and after 
passing a wild volcanic fosse, which winds 
for miles between high walls of black lava 
to the very foot of the Fantali crater, a halt 
was called upon a spot lower down the 
Casam, where grass was abundant. The 



bivouac was among huge loose boulders ; 
and between the bold headlands which 
bound the stream numerous glimpses were 
obtained of its distant course, as it wound 
calmly over the deep rocky bed. Fantali 
was now nqt more than six miles distant 
to the south. Although the existence of 
thermal springs was confirmed, the volcano 
was unanimously represented to have emit- 
ted no smoke within the memory of the 
present generation. The hill was pictured 
as a fiery furnace, and a desert waste, as 
the habitation of gins and demons— the 
communication having, however, from time 
immemorial been entirely cut off by the 
Ittoo and Aroosi Galla, who continually 
prowl over the intervening plain. Not- 
withstanding the smallness of the European 
band, and the fatigue entailed by the sultry 
march, former experience of Adel treach- 
ery, added to the habitual apathy, indiffer- 
ence, and timidity of every Amhara escort, 
enforced the necessity of precaution in so 
wild a spot ; and throughout the night a 
disciplined vigilance was accordingly main- 
tained by a revival of the long-neglected 
rules of " watch and. ward." 



CHAPTER CXVII. 

TRIUMPH OVER THE FOREST BULL. 

At break of day the hunters were in the 
saddle ; and the lava blocks which bounded 
the camp having been passed, a level tract 
was suddenly revealed, composed of hard 
clay, and destitute of a stone in any direc- 
tion. Wide-spreading camel-thorn acacias 
in full blossom, with their rich perfume, 
loaded the morning air even to satiety, and 
in long lines and clumps separated the 
outskirts into a succession of delightful 
glades of the most inviting aspect, which 
promised to teem with wild beasts of every 
variety. Five of the principal Adai'el at- 
tended in equestrian order, their slender 
waists begirt with the scantiest and dirtiest 
fragment of cloth, and their heads stream- 
in o- with grease — a chosen band of mount- 
ed* Moslems, from the retinue of Habti 
Mariam, being decked out in the flaunting 
spoils of lions and leopards which had 
fallen to their prowess. This motley group 
of wild riders set off at a furious pace 
across the flat, some scouring after every j 
insignificant animal that was descried, 
while others, truer wood-craftsmen, dili- 
gently scanned the ground over which 
they galloped. 

Last night's traces of the wanton strengtn 
of the giant monarch of the forest were vis- 



I 



THE HUNTING TRAIL— THE DEATH. 



295 



ible among the noble trees. Huge branch- 
es, twisted from the stem, lay scattered in 
various quarters, and the fresh foot-marks 
of the devastators were presently discov- 
ered. Several ineffectual attempts had 
been made to decrease the number of the 
rabble train, and the disturbance created 
had the effect, like the tail of the rattle- 
snake, of warning all of the approach of 
enemies. Myriads of clamoring guinea- 
fowl, whirring above the grove in every 
direction, spread the alarm far and wide ; 
and the quarry, driven deeper and deeper 
into the dark recesses, finally took shelter 
in a sea. of tangled bulrushes, which skirted 
the borders of numerous rivulets of run- 
ning water that pour their muddy tribute 
into the Casam. 

During several hours thus fruitlessly 
passed, the strenuous and unanimous ex- 
ertions of the retinue were most unremit- 
ting to prevent success ; but a limited 
party on foot, with three of the governor's 
braves, were at length induced to lead the 
way into the covert. Here the cast of a 
few hundred yards revealed the tracks of 
a buffalo, and the trail was carried through 
thick groves of wild tamarisk, whose shady 
boughs, meeting overhead, formed natural 
bowers and arcades. The tumult had 
now ceased. While stealing in Indian 
file through vast fields of tall flags, and 
carefully avoiding every projecting twig, 
the fresh traces of the quarry frequently 
demonstrated that he was close at hand, 
and at length a measured splashing of wa- 
ter in the broad channel below gave notice 
of his actual presence. 

The leading Adel cast a keen glance 
through the intervening screen of blue 
tamarisk, and, turning, pointed to both his 
eyes. From the brink of the river bank a 
noble buffalo was perceived rolling from 
side to side, as it waded indolently across 
the stream, which reached above the girth, 
ever and anon whisking its tasselled tail 
to dislodge a host of persecuting flies. Its 
intention evidently was to land immediate- 
ly below the ambush taken ; and as less 
than fifty yards intervened, each step ad- 
vanced rendered the target more unfavor- 
able. A two-ounce ball in the point of the 
shoulder, though it tumbled the unwieldy 
animal on its haunches, did not sufficiently 
paralyze its giant strength to bring it fairly 
down ; and before another rifle could be ob- 
tained, it had burst from the eddying water, 
and plunged into the adjacent thicket. 

No trace of blood rewarded the strictest 
scrutiny ; and, after a few minutes' delib- 
eration, the attendants pronounced the 
crimal unscathed; but finding the party 



positive as to the spot in which the bullet 
had taken effect, and firmly resolved not 
to abandon the quest, several able casts 
were made among the tall flags that wayed 
over the rivulet. Fifteen minutes passed 
on without a whisper ; then a low whistle 
from the thicket proclaimed the success of 
Koorbo the Adel. He had recovered the 
wounded beast, recumbent in the darkest 
recesses of the tamarisk grove, its red eyes 
gleaming through the gloom, saliva stream- 
ing in bell-ropes from the mouth, and the 
breathing hard and husky. A faint charge 
succeeded ; but its strength was on the 
wane, and as it stumbled across a prostrate 
bough, its demolition was completed. 

Singular pleasure could not but attend 
the conquest of this noble beast, standing 
nineteen hands at the wither. In spite of 
every existing disadvantage, the avowed 
object of the toilsome journey to the hot 
plains of the Adaiel had now been accom- 
plished, to the delight and the amazement 
of all ; whereas, to have returned to the 
king without a trophy, after his majesty's 
sage remarks upon the subject of buffalo- 
hunting, would, in the eyes of every one, 
have proved a blot on the escutcheon of 
the hitherto triumphant Gyptzis. 

No sooner had the unwieldy monster 
fallen in its last struggles than Adam, the 
chief of the braves, having severed the 
windpipe with true Mohammadan skill. 
advanced at the head of his band, and 
falling prostrate on the ground, returned 
thanks at the feet of the victor. Shields 
full of water to allay thirst were next 
brought from the river. Every creese 
was drawn, and the solid hide, after being 
removed with all expedition, was, for the 
convenience of carriage, divided into six 
portions suited for bucklers. Often re- 
peated blows from a heavy stone detached 
the great crescent horns from the beetling 
brow ; and these, with the ears, hoofs, and 
tufted tail, were borne off as trophies to be 
laid at the royal footstool. Elated at the 
conquest in a few minutes of a formidable 
and much-dreaded beast, whose destruction 
by these rude people — a feat sometimes 
occupying many days — is esteemed equiv- 
alent to the slaughter of eight Pagans in 
battle, the excited savages were presently 
retracing their steps through the intrica- 
cies of the wilderness. Flourishing the 
spoils aloft in earnest of victory, they al- 
ternately whistled and chanted their wild- 
est war-dirge, and the deep chorus raised 
at intervals made the recesses of the grove 
to ring again. 

Awaiting the return with some anxiety, 
Ayto Habti Mariana, surrounded by his ar- 

*% • 



296 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ray of warriors, was seated beneath the 
spreading arms of a venerable acacia, which 
leaned in hoary pride over the bank of the 
bubbling Casam. Godana, the Adel brave, 
galloping wildly into the ring, vaulted from 
his rude saddle, and casting a sixth of the 
hide contemptuously upon the ground, de- 
clared the quest to be achieved ! During 
the performance of the war-dance, by which 
his gaunt and sinewy frame was long vio- 
lently convulsed, he sprang from side to 
side, quivering his spear with the most 
ferocious gestures, and chuckling in imi- 
tation of the gloating mirth of famished 
vultures that revel over their prey. His 
exhibition concluded, the other doughty 
heroes who had been present at the death, 
each in his turn, flung his trophy disdain- 
fully upon the earth ; and the whole, with 
shouts, and yells, and war-whoops, accom- 
panied by all manner of savage antics, then 
triumphed over the spoils of the slain. 

Greatly to the disappointment and sur- 
prise of the king's guests, the governor 
now intimated the necessity of returning 
forthwith to the high country. The pro- 
lific covert teeming with game of every 
description, a respite of only one day was 
earnestly and repeatedly solicited, but in 
vain. The Amhara, who had embarked 
in the rash enterprise with the utmost re- 
luctance, oppressed by the direct influence 
of the solar rays, and most anxious to ter- 
minate their sojourn on a perilous border, 
heretofore untrodden by Christian foot, 
with unanimous voice declared their pro- 
visions at an end ; while the Ada'iel, who 
still mistrusted the motive of the visit, 
and, now that the avowed object had been 
accomplished, would hear of no further 
tarry on their frontier, urged as an argu- 
ment for instant departure, that the Ittoo, 
" having heard the reports of the rifles, 
would not fail to be down in strength du- 
ring the night." 

Desultory hostilities are continually 
waged between these wild borderers, whose 
broils and feuds are endless ; and not six 
months had passed away since five hun- 
dred Pagans, bursting over the frontier, 
had plundered the Moslem vallies. But 
the tocsin, resounding from village to vil- 
lage, was promptly responded to by the 
gathered population, who pursued the 
marauders on their return flushed with 
success — recovered all the booty wherewith 
they were laden — and left the stark bodies 
of one hundred and twenty unbelievers 
a prey to the vultures of the air. Although 
a brave soldier, Habti Mariam was evi- 
dently unwilling to incur the responsibili- 
ty, " You came," he repeated, "to hunt 






buffaloes ; and by God's aid you have suc- 
ceeded. My control extends not to these 
disturbed districts ; and if blows should 
be struck, what account shall I render un- 
to the king my lord ?■" 

Further remonstrance being obviously 
useless, the AdaVel were assembled, and 
complimentary speeches having been de- 
livered laudatory of their assistance, an 
Abyssinian cloth and a handful of German 
crowns were placed among them for di- 
vision. Godana, on the part of his avari- 
cious tribe, made an oration in reply ; and 
waxing more and more animated as he 
drew toward the conclusion of the ha- 
rangue, ended by praying in a loud voice, 
"that Allah might conduct the princely 
visitors in safety to their homes, and cause 
their spear-blades to prevail over every 
foe ! — that the eyes of their adversaries 
might be blinded in battle — that plenty 
might crown their harvests, and blood, as 
now, ever bedew their hunting trail !" 
And during the pause that followed the 
interpretation of each of these benedic- 
tions, the governor, with his assembled 
host, ejaculated " Amen !" 

The Casam again recrossed, and the as- 
cent of the hills commenced, the sudden 
appearance of a colony of pigfaced baboons 
crowning the bank of the volcanic cleft, 
gave birth for some minutes to an appre- 
hension, among the Amhara, that the 
much-dreaded Ittoo were already hovering 
on the flank. But certain playful bounds 
on the part of the suspected objects soon 
dispelled the illusion ; and the setting sun 
saw the party safely encamped on a height 
overlooking a bend of the river. Its wide 
basin presented the remnants of volcanic 
action in a group of thermal springs which 
issue from the sod-grown channel at a 
temperature of 150° Fahrenheit, and flow 
steaming on beneath a grove of odorifer- 
ous fan-palms. Celebrated for their san- 
ative properties, the baths were speedily 
thronged by all who labored under any 
real or imaginary ailment ; and notwith- 
standing that they shrunk from the ex- 
treme heat, which threatened to scald a 
European finger, the immersion was per- 
severingly continued by a succession of 
patients so long as the daylight lasted. 



CHAPTER CXVIII. 

RETURN TO DUMMAKOO. 

In the absence of a standing army, it is 
truly astonishing by what magic spell the 






m— ti 



A 




\' R 



EUESTS OK T1IF. CATHKDRAL OF ST. MICHAKL 




CHRISTIAN VVAimiOR&QF BHOA. 



EQUITATION— THE ABYSSINIAN HORSE. 



297 



inhabitants of these remote portions of 
his majesty's dominions are bound to his 
rule. Owing to the difficulties insepara- 
ble from the introduction of an armed 
force for their chastisement, and the very 
inaccessible nature of their fastnesses, no 
situation could be more favorable to revolt 
and to rebellion. But it is strikingly ob- 
vious, that the wily policy of reticulated 
governments will prove sufficient for the 
accomplishment of the end, so long as the 
fear of the Galla is strong in the breast both 
of Christian and Mohammadan, and so long 
as the name of Sahela Selassie shall con- 
tinue to act as a potent talisman upon all 
the savage, turbulent, and refractory spir- 
its who people his disunited empire. 

During the early portion of the night, 
the shrill crowing, as of a hundred cocks, 
might have induced the belief that the 
wild camp stood in the neighborhood of 
Ankober, where chanticleer taxes his 
throat almost incessantly ; but the sound 
to which the wild hills now rung was as- 
certained to proceed from the Amhara 
pickets. With a view to compensate in 
some measure for the brief sojourn con- 
ceded in the low country, the hunters were 
hurried off the moment the morning star 
appeared, in order to beleaguer a field of 
reeds occupying the bed of the Casam. It 
was said by the governor to terminate in 
a cul de sac, and to be one great den of 
lions, no fewer than eight having fallen 
under the spears of the Adaiel in an at- 
tack made some years previously. The 
path traversed the deep broken bed of the 
river, the lofty castellated walls of which 
rising sternly in the moonlight, were gar- 
risoned by a legion of baboons, and before 
dawn, the forces halted on a sheet of bare 
rock, over which a small stream of water 
fell by a time-worn channel into a deep 
dark basin ; — many hundred acres of tall 
waving flags, interspersed by shady trees, 
stretching away over the long reach 
beyond. 

But the capabilities of the place proved 
to have been greatly exaggerated ; and, 
although certainly harboring a vast num- 
ber of the felince, it was far too extensive 
and too tangled — too impervious to man, 
and too unassailable by fire — to admit even 
of a chance of success. An agazin and an 
oryx, of which numbers fled in all direc- 
tions, were hunted down and mobbed by 
the host of retainers, aided by their dogs. 
A feeble attempt was then made to dislodge 
the inmates of the wide covert, by a gene- 
ral screaming and clattering of shields on 
the outskirts ; and this notable display of 
venerie being concluded without any good 
20 



result, the cavalcade wended its way home- 
ward. 

Mounting on the left side, with the as- 
sistance of his spear, the Amhara when in 
the saddle does not by any means ride well. 
Frequent falls are precluded by the high 
bulwarks of wood and leather which fortify 
his position ; but his seat is awkward and 
ungainly ; and although a horse is carried 
at speed over bad ground, few cavaliers can 
be said to possess the noble science of equi- 
tation. While violently kicking with the 
naked shanks, and retaining the stirrup in 
the grasp of the great toe, they tug vio- 
lently at the cruel and barbarous bit ; and 
the blood is to be seen streaming from the 
mouth, as the tortured animal tosses its 
head in agony. 

The bridle is especially powerful and 
severe, long cheeks being attached to an 
indented bit, while a solid iron ring em- 
braces the lower jaw, and acts like a tight- 
ened curb, to the effectual restraint of the 
most violent temper. The saddle is of 
Tartar form, and consists of two light 
splinters, leaving a clear space for the 
spine, and connecting a high wooden pom- 
mel for the suspension of the shield to a 
cantel equally high. Firmly sewn together 
with wet thongs, the tree is padded, cov- 
ered with a loose skin, and furnished with 
stirrup rings, just sufficiently capacious to 
embrace the first toe of the shoeless eques- 
trian. 

The Abyssinian horse would in England 
be considered under-sized, and deficient in 
make and bone ; but the breed is hardy, 
enduring, and sure-footed, and, from the 
low price demanded, might with advantage 
be exported to some of the eastern colonies. 
Colts reared among the Galla are deserv- 
edly held superior, the reckless character 
of the wild pagan rider impelling them over 
the most difficult ground, and thus impart- 
ing a degree of boldness and confidence 
which is rarely to be found in the Amhara 
steeds. In Shoathe absence of roads mili- 
tates against the use of wheeled carriages ; 
and established custom forbidding the em- 
ployment of the team in agriculture, the 
gelding is reserved exclusively for the sad- 
dle, while mares and stallions are very 
rarely ridden. The art of shoeing is un- 
known, and no attention is paid to the care 
of the hoof, which, being extremely hard, 
for a time bids defiance to the stony ground ; 
but many nevertheless were already be- 
ginning to suffer from the want of a farrier. 

The horse is by all considered a very 
inferior animal to the mule, whose soft 
agreeable pace accords much better with 
the general indolent habits of the Abyssin-^ 



298 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ian, and whose patience and surety of foot 
among the steep rocky mountains are suf- 
ficiently appreciated. The prices given 
are consequently larger, and the care taken 
of the latter is proportionably greater. 
While the steed, scantily supplied with old 
straw, runs in the pasture during every 
season of the year, the mule, on the failure 
of the herbage, is pampered on barley and 
on the best of teff fodder, and, sheltered 
from the cold bleak wind, remains a con- 
stant inmate of the master's dwelling, on 
terms of close intimacy with the family. 

Twenty-five or thirty miles within the 
day are rarely exceeded — the high hills to 
be ascended, and the deep rugged valleys 
to be traversed, rendering a longer stage 
almost impracticable. The usual pace of 
the sure-footed mule is three miles during 
the hour, but when the road is level the 
amble is increased to five, and the pedes- 
trians of the party still continue to retain 
their place. A saddled steed is led in the 
train ; and, excepting in the hereditary do- 
minions of Shoa, the traveller is fain to 
keep a good look out for the roving Galla, 
and to do battle on the moment, if occasion 
requires. 

On again reaching the gorge of the F6- 
tah river, the governor, surrounded by the 
most puissant of his chivalry, and preceded 
by a band of bold spearmen, each decorated 
with some flaunting trophy of the chase, 
advanced with a measured war-dance, and 
a martial chorus, which made the deep 
cleft reecho. These triumphant strains 
were continued with little intermission du- 
ring the whole of the steep ascent, and in 
spite of the intense heat of the sun, which 
shot forth with greater fervor than ever, 
were swelled occasionally by his own voice. 
Dense clouds of dust and sand, such as 
might be raised by a charge of ten thou- 
sand cavalry, whirled up toward the sultry 
sky from the scene of recent exploits ; and 
the Amhara, already fanned by the cooler 
breeze of the highlands, looked down upon 
the execrated plain with joy at their deliv- 
erance from its burning atmosphere. From 
each hamlet along the route the inhabitants 
sallied forth with shrill acclamations, to 
greet the return of the adventurous party: 
the entire female popula'ion of Dummakoo, 
receiving the white strangers near the 
church dedicated to the tutelar saint of 
England, led the way with kettle-drums 
and shouts of welcome : and for many 
hours after arrival within the dark walls of 
the king's granary, every quarter of the 
village resounded with choral music. 

A visit of congratula ion was immediate- 
ly paid by a dim, nut. ve gentleman, who 



boasted descent in a direct line from the 
celebrated Graan, and whose more imme- 
diate ancestors possessed the vicegerency 
of the greater part of the country just vis- 
ited. Ali Qui occupied a farm in the vicin- 
ity of Dummakoo, and he was accompanied 
by his tall, fair, dark-eyed daughter, clothed 
in crimson, and loaded with amulets and 
amber necklaces. .Possessing the Abys- 
sinian accomplishment of begging in the 
very highest perfection, the worthy Mos- 
lem presented a jar of milk, and requested 
the loan of five hundred dollars to pay for 
his estate ; while the coquettish damsel 
brought a loaf of bread, and exerted her 
powers of eloquence to bring about an ap- 
plication to the throne for the restoration 
of her parent to his hereditary dignities. 
She was known by the eccentric appella- 
tion of Khumsa Kirch, or " fifty crowms " 
— a title bestowed in commemoration of a 
fine to that amount levied on the day of her 
nativity upon Ali Qui, as a punishment for 
the escape of a state prisoner consigned to 
his custody. 

The easy and ingenious mode of extor- 
tion by mamalacha, exists in full force 
throughout the land, and all are equally 
amenable both to its abuses and to its pri- 
vileges. Bringing any article within his 
means, no matter what, the begging peti- 
tioner hands it over to his superior as a 
memento for anything that he has the as- 
surance to demand. Servants offer a stick 
or a bundle of grass, and ask for swords, 
clothes, and money ; w r hile chiefs and the 
highest officers of state, present to the 
throne a pot of butter or a cloth, and seek 
to receive in return a horse, or a mule, or 
an embroidered garment. If the mamalacha 
be received, the case is hopeless ; and in- 
deed the custom of the country requires 
that the extortioner should be never met 
with a negative. Thus, on the occasion 
of loss by fire or other casualty, the sufferer 
makes the round of his acquaintance, who 
each contribute a mite to the subscription ; 
and wonderful license being given to im- 
posture, the individual upon whom fortune 
has laid a heavy hand, soon waxes more 
wealthy than before. 

No petitioner ever enters the presence 
of his superior unless furnished with dn 
offering according to his worldly means, as 
a bribe to propitiate favor and good-will. 
Cattle and honey, cloth, wood, and even 
stones, are presented ; and this system is 
invariably observed in all quarrels and dis- 
sensions, where either party desires recon- 
ciliation. Without the intervention of a 
mediator, this cannot be effected. A third 
individual is therefore sought, who will un- 



PERTINACIOUS BEGGARS—WOIZORO ASAGASH. 



299 



dertake the arrangement, and to his hands 
the affair is consigned. The king himself 
often accepts the office, and of course is 
very rarely unsuccessful. Inferiors come 
into the presence of their official master 
with large stones upon their heads ; and, 
prostrating themselves upon the earth, seek 
forgiveness of their offences, which at the 
intercession of the all-powerful mediator, 
is seldom withheld. The oath by his ma- 
jesty's life is the most potent in use. If 
adjured by the death of Sahela Selassie, 
non-compliance can be visited by punish- 
ment ; and the wilful breach of the solemn 
obligation renders the perjured party liable 
to penalties the most severe. 

From the highest to the lowest, all class- 
es are most pertinacious beggars. What- 
soever is seen is surely demanded — guns, 
knives, scissors, beads, cloth, mirrors, and 
dollars. The love of acquiring property 
stifles every sense of shame ; and no com- 
punction is felt in asking for the cloak from 
off the back, or in carrying it away during 
a pitiless storm. The Amhara even take 
a pride in this national failing, and boast 
that the child before coming into the world 
will stretch forth its hand to receive a gift ; 
while tradition extols as highly praisewor- 
thy and deserving of imitation the conduct 
of a certain great Abyssinian chief, who on 
his death-bed desired that his body might 
be interred in the track of a caravan, in 
order that, if possible, his spirit might be 
in the way of receiving a dole from the 
passing merchant ! 



CHAPTER CXIX. 

THE KARAIYO GALLA. CRATERS OF SABOO 
AND FANTALI. 

As each evening closed, the most mag- 
nificent stormy effect now appeared over 
the high range of Bulga. Dark clouds, 
occasionally pierced by a bright ray of the 
sinking sun, drove in dense volumes 
across this mountain wall; and as they 
rolled on toward the lofty cone of Mega- 
sus, they revealed in their track the pre- 
cipitous and rugged nature of bluffs which 
had heretofore presented an unbroken sur- 
face. Rain not unfrequently fell during 
the night, and penetrating the flimsy cot- 
ton awnings, as if they had been cullen- 
ders, rendered an umbrella necessary to- 
ward the protection of the damp pillow. 

Resolved to view the mys'erious Fantali 
from the country of the Karaiyo Galla, 
whence might be determined the importaut 
20* 



question of its activity or quiescence, an 
excursion was next planned to the lake 
Muttahara, whose glassy bosom, surround- 
ed by great belts of yellow grass, and 
stretching along the western base of the 
volcano, had been regarded with intense 
curiosity, as it sparkled under the beams 
of the setting sun. Absence of water on 
the road, rendered it imperative that the 
party should be limited ; and the insuper- 
able aversion displayed by every follower 
to a second expedition to the low country, 
therefore, caused little disappointment. 
Many had already suffered severely from 
inflammation of the eyes ; and greater dif- 
ficulty could hardly have been experienced 
in obtaining volunteers for the most des- 
perate forlorn hope ever undertaken — the 
Aroosi beyond the Hawash, a tribe distin- 
guished for surpassing ferocity, being de- 
clared the bitter, blood-thirsty enemy of 
every Christian and Mohammadan. 

The governor had already proceeded in 
advance, to collect his vassals ; and on the 
morning fixed for departure a heavy white 
fog, such as is wont to envelope the capital 
of Shoa during three-quarters of the year, 
veiled the entire face of nature. The first 
five miles led across the richly cultivated 
terrace of Berhut, amid numerous hamlets 
which gradually became visible as the 
mist ascended. Aingodiye, on the top of 
the pass, together with the entire district 
of that denomination, pertains to the lady 
asagash, who, decked in her holyday cos- 
tume, and shining under a sheen of butter, 
politely sallied forth, with her train of 
household slaves and handmaidens, to greet 
the passing strangers. 

This portly dame, whose appearance is 
truly indicative of her wealth, was the fa- 
vorite concubine of the famous Medoko at 
the period of his assassination ; and having 
been suffered by the despot to retain the 
extensive domains conferred upon her par- 
amour during the days of his glory, a thrifty 
disposition has swelled her hoard of corn, 
oil, and beeves, beyond all bounds. In her 
retinue came a disconsolate couple chained 
together by the wrists — thieves no doubt — 
and said to be man and wife, whom the 
woizoro facetiously declared it had been 
found requisite to link by bonds stronger 
than those of wedlock, in order to counter- 
act a decided disinclination to the society 
of the husband, evinced by the inconstant 
spousa i;i three several elopemeuts. 

Descending by a steep pass through the 
district of Gooroon za — a perfect wilder- 
ness of rugged mountains — the road cross- 
ed the river of that name near its junction 
with the Casam, and shortly afterward the 



300 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Casam itself, from which all the villages 
for many miles round derive their supply 
of water. Taking its source in the ele- 
vated plains of Germama, this tributary of 
the Hawash escapes through the moun- 
tains by a deep defile, worn in the lapse of 
ages by the autumnal torrents, betwixt 
Mentshar and Bulga. Thence it winds on 
beneath shadowy bluffs of rock rising per- 
pendicularly to a terrace — a system of 
ridges jutting out from the high table land, 
and dipping on both sides into the stream. 
Of these, the principal is the frowning 
promontory of Gougou, which, like a nat- 
ural fortress, abruptly terminates the 
Tudla Mariam plateau, extending to An- 
gollala in one uninterrupted terrace, cele- 
brated for the capsicums and fine cotton 
wool raised by its Christian population. 

From the bed of the Casam the road 
wound up the Choba ravine, through a 
fissure formed near the point of junction 
by two gigantic blocks of granite, which 
rise perpendicularly to a towering height 
on either side, and hem in the rugged de- 
file to a straightened pass of just sufficient 
width to permit the transit of a mule. 
The stupendous pass wore the appearance 
of having been hurled in remote ages from 
the summit of the impending cliff, the 
force of the concussion rending it in twain, 
and forming the key to a road, which by a 
handful of resolute men might be defended 
against the mightiest host. An ascent of 
one thousand feet over the Woleecha 
mountain, by a narrow path worn in the 
columnar trap, led to another elevated pla- 
teau, where, after the arrival of the gov- 
ernor, the staff was set up for the night at 
the Moslem village of Seeagur, eleven 
miles from Dummakoo. 

The threshing-floor whereon the tent 
was erected, standing upon one of the 
many tongues of table-land that intersect 
the district of Wolagur, looked down a 
long valley, bounded on the opposite side 
by the similarly perpendicular wall of Boor- 
kikee, upon the verge of which, surround- 
ed by a milk-bush hedge, rose the secluded 
church of St. George, the last Christian 
edifice of Mentshar. The sudden termi- 
nation of the terrace, which abruptly drops 
into the country of the Galla, commanded 
an extensive prospect over the wilderness 
of Taboo, bounded by the distant blue hills 
of the Gamoo and Aroosi. Rising among 
the Sama Galla, and overflowing the level 
land in the season of its height, the Taboo, 
like most of the secondary streams in this 
district, is dissipated by the fiery heat of 
the plains, and expends itself before reach- 
ing the Hawash. 



Double the number of retainers, both 
horse and foot, who actually appeared on 
the morrow, had been summoned ; but 
many preferred paying the fine incurred 
by absence, to accompanying their liege 
lord into jungles hitherto little trodden by 
the Christian. A respectable retinue was, 
however, in attendance ; and the party set 
out at an early hour for the lake Muttahara. 
A rugged winding descent, due south, led 
to the foot of the Wolagur range, whence 
an extensive grassy tract stretches away 
to Fantali, beautifully wooded, dotted over 
with flocks and herds, and disclosing in 
every direction the bee-hive cabins of the 
Karaiyo, a tribe equally rich in cattle and 
in pasture land. 

It is now fifteen years since an Amhara 
expedition, under the dech agafari, over- 
ran this then independent district from the 
highlands of Mentshar. The inhabitants, 
flying for shelter to their thick hook-thorn 
coverts, sustained little loss in killed ; but 
the whole of their wealth was swept away, 
and thirty thousand fat beeves were pre- 
sented to the monarch on the plains of 
Angollola, as an earnest of successful fo- 
ray. Since that period the Karaiyo have 
been nominally dependent on Shoa. paying 
an annual tribute of twenty oxen, and the 
left tooth of every elephant entrapped or 
found dead — a mild taxation with which 
they are sufficiently content to abstain 
from revolt, although the hold over them 
is too slight to admit of further impost — 
the principal advantage derived from their 
submission being the interposition of a bar- 
rier against the inroads upon the Amhara 
frontier of the savage Aroosi. 

The Karaiyo territory, extending about 
forty miles in length by thirty in breadth, 
consists of a succession of open unculti- 
vated plains, covered with luxuriant shade, 
and intersected by low ranges of hills, 
rising in all the exuberance of turfy 
grass, dotted with spreading trees — alto- 
gether a highly enviable site for a small 
nomade tribe, although much scourged by 
the neighboring Aroosi, and presenting the 
very theatre for a hasty inroad. Portions 
of the district often suffer much from 
drought ; but a most opportune fall of rain 
the preceding night had completely deluged 
the country, and poured into every pool 
along the route a plentiful supply of mud- 
dy water. 

Taking an easterly direction toward Fan- 
tali, numerous well-peopled hamlets were 
passed, occupying all the secluded nooks, 
and as wealthy in flocks and herds as if 
the Amhara besom had never swept the 
land. From constant exposure to the heat 



RECENT VOLCANOES— LAKE MUTTAHARA. 



301 



and glare, and the habit of closing 1 the eye- 
lid to increase the power of vision, the 
swarthy features of even the youngest of 
the blinking inhabitants were deeply fur- 
rowed with premature wrinkles, which, 
with a turn-up nose, rendered those who 
had numbered many seasons, truly hid- 
eous. 

In an easterly direction the course was 
bounded by the great isolated crater of Sa- 
boo, yawning in the very centre of a well- 
populated plain, and said to have been in 
full activity in the time of Sahela Selas- 
sie's grandsire, who reigned only thirty 
years ago ; an assertion which was fully 
borne out by the recent appearance of the 
lava streams. The long-horned oryx, with 
great herds of antelope, grazed around eve- 
ry pool — the latter little disturbed by the 
presence of those who tended the flocks 
of sheep and goats, and whose groups of 
circular wigwams peeped forth in every 
sequestered corner. 

An ancient crone of surpassing ugliness, 
attired in a leathern petticoat flounced with 
cowry shells, was busily engaged by the 
wayside in transferring muddy water to her 
scrip, and looking up, was perfectly horri- 
fied at the appearance of a white face on 
the opposite border of the puddle. For 
a few seconds her old teeth chattered 
audibly, and then, satisfied that there was 
no deception, she called loudly upon the 
goddess Ateti, threw herself back upon 
the ground, and became a prey to abject 
despair. 

Resuming a southerly course from the 
foot of the crater, the path led at right an- 
gles over a tract strangely rent, and riven, 
and jumbled together — high perpendicular 
walls of lava separating deep broken abyss- 
es, the form of each dark-heaving billow 
being distinct in the rolling tide amid the 
brilliant belts of verdure by which it was 
streaked. Inkoftoo, the principal Karaiyo 
kraal in the district of Kadecha Dima, rose 
suddenly to sight, when there were still 
many hours of daylight. Standing beside 
an extensive pool, screened on all sides by 
luxuriant trees, it was strongly fortified by 
stiff thorn branches against the inroads of 
the lion ; formidable troops of which, roam- 
ing almost unmolested, commit great havoc 
among the cattle, and had only the night 
before carried off a youth belonging to the 
village. 

It wanted still some miles of the spot in 
which Habti Mariam had resolved to en- 
camp, near the borders of the Muttahara 
lake, whose placid surface, not less than 
two miles across, extended almost to the 
base of the Fantali. The chief of Inkof- 



too had seen a rhinoceros in the morning 
among the dense thicket of hook-thorns 
covering the declivity of a hill on the way ; 
but although one of the governor's braves, 
elevating his sheep-skin mantle upon the 
point of his lance, charged the assembled 
multitude in the king's name to abstain 
from clamor, and from interference with 
the arrangements made for beating up the 
quarters of the " ouraris" the clattering 
hoofs of the advancing cavalcade presently 
put the animal to flight toward the Ha wash. 
It were difficult to determine whether 
the fear of the Aroosi or of wild beasts 
now predominated in the minds of the Am- 
hara escort. In spite of a heavy fall of 
rain, large watch-fires were kindled in va- 
rious parts of the lone bivouac, and not a 
single eye was closed until the day had 
fairly dawned. 



CHAPTER CXX. 

THE AROOSI GALLA. GREAT CRATER OF WIN- 
ZEGOOR. VOLCANIC WELLS. WILDERNESS 
OF TABOO. 

Extensive morasses, environing the 
sedge-grown borders of the Muttahara wa- 
ter, proved it to be far below its wonted 
boundaries, and precluded all access to 
Fantali, even had the timidity of the guides 
been sufficiently overcome to induce them 
to acquiesce in a visit ; but the non-exist- 
ence of any active volcano for more than 
thirty years was confirmed by all. The 
Kobederntoo and the Gobakoobee districts 
form the limit of his majesty's Karaiyo pos- 
sessions within a few miles of the Hawash, 
and thither the cavalcade proceeded in the 
morning. Arriving near the mountain Sa- 
deka, one of the outposts of the Aroosi, 
whence the wooded line of the river could 
be traced for miles through the naked plains, 
bearings were obtained to the conical peak 
of Serie, and other conspicuous landmarks. 
But the appearance of a small party of arm- 
ed savages in the distance, soon induced 
precipitate retreat on the part of the escort, 
who by no means relished the delay. A 
band of treacherous barbarians had only a 
few weeks previously made a descent upon 
the Karaiyo cattle, and after putting all 
the herdsmen to the spear, were hurrying 
off with the booty, when they were pursued 
in force, and put to flight with the loss of 
twelve of their number. Another preda- 
tory visit was. daily anticipated ; and the 
caution was in every mouth, " If two war- 
riors be perceived upon the same horse, 



302 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ask no questions, but shoot them without 
mercy." , 

Sahela Selassie has never yet attempted 
an expedition in person against these war- 
hawks, nestled in the lap of the mountains, 
who fight stark naked, and are besmeared 
with lard from head to foot. Merciless, 
and of predatory habits, they are represent- 
ed as extremely powerful in battle, and are 
the terror of every surrounding tribe — two 
warriors usually bestriding the same steed, 
and aiding each other with barbed lances 
jagged like the teeth of a saw, and with 
bucklers manufactured in relief, to imitate 
the shell of the tortoise. Subsisting en- 
tirely by plunder, the cultivation of their 
high cold hills is but little attended to ; 
salt, which forms the principal article of 
barter with Gurague, and other inland bor- 
dering countries, being obtainable in un- 
limited quantities from the lake Laghi, two 
days' journey from Serie, one of the prin- 
cipal market towns. Noora Hoossain is 
the capital of the Aroosi Galla, who are all 
followers of the prophet ; and the principal 
towns of their adjacent neighbors the Ittoo, 
a race of mixed Mohammadans and Pagans, 
are Chercha and Metokoma. 

The rhinoceros was said to abound in 
the Karaiyo neighborhood ; but Habti Ma- 
riam would consent to no further sojourn 
on this dangerous border with so limited an 
escort, and at noon retraced his steps to the 
village of Inkoftoo. Here all the braves 
and principal men of the tribe were gath- 
ered to recount for the royal edification, by 
retail, their recent exploits with the preda- 
tory Aroosi, as well as the particulars at- 
tending the slaughter of an elephant calf 
that had fallen under their united lances a 
few weeks previously. A single spear 
wound in a tender part having stupefied the 
beast, hundreds of warriors rushed in and 
overwhelmed it. Every participator in this 
notable achievement, which is one of ex- 
tremely rare occurrence, now wore his gar- 
ments saturated with gore and fat, and dis- 
played on his person some distinguishing 
ornament or feather; while the doughty 
hero who claimed first blood, strutted about 
under a perfect load of sable and green 
plumes, brass chains, and massive ivory 
armlets, precisely similar to those worn by 
the ancient Egyptians. Not quite satisfied 
as to the object of the visit, the Karaiyo had 
collected the whole of their great droves 
of cattle in the precincts of the hamlet. 
Among them were many splendid sanga, 
with wide-spreading horns upward of six 
feet in length ; under which preposterous 
attire they moved as majestically as the stag 
" proud of his twelve tynes." 



A heavy storm of dust obscured the en- 
tire face of the landscape in the direction 
of Saboo ; arriving near to which, a path 
struck off to the westward to the encamping 
ground on the side of the Kozi mountain, 
above a snug Karaiyo hamlet, whence pro- 
visions were obtained. The Amhara fol- 
lowers, although still restricted by the fast 
of Hodadi, from participation in animal food, 
were fain to incase their naked and blister- 
ed feet in portions of the hide of an ox 
slaughtered for the entertainment of the 
more fortunate Mohammadans ; the fields 
of lava lately traversed, like the " iron 
stones" celebrated in the travels of the 
Jesuit fathers of old, being " like the dross 
that cometh from the furnace, and so sharp 
pointed withal, that they spoiled a pair of 
new shoes in a day." 

The next object was to visit the far-famed 
volcanic well of Boorchutta, on the frontier 
of Mentshar, bordering on the wilderness 
of Taboo, which was to limit the wander- 
ings of the party. Shortly after gaining 
the summit of the Kozi mountain, the road 
wound along the very brink of the gaping 
crater of Winzegoor, from whose monstrous 
chasm the entire adjacent country has been 
recently overflowed. Extending two miles 
in length by one and a half in breadth, it is 
environed by perpendicular walls towering 
from six to eight hundred feet, two gorges 
to the east and southeast having afforded 
an outlet to the boiling deluge. The area 
of the whole basin affords occasional 
glimpses of jet black through belts of the 
most brilliant verdure ; and two bare trun- 
cated cones, thrown up during an eruption 
some thirty years previously, having poured 
a serpentine stream high over the sur- 
rounding jungles, remain dark and cindery 
as on the day when they were vomited by 
the pillared flame from the bowels of the 
great abyss. 

Three miles beyond Winzegoor, the cav- 
alcade was halted preparatory to the pass- 
age of a dangerous defile, said to teem with 
the execrated Aroosi hordes, and to form 
their favorite ambuscade. A council of war 
was held. The troops being formed into a 
dense body, a wobo was appointed to pre- 
vent straggling, and to command the rear- 
guard. Scouts proceeded in advance to 
reconnoitre, and the strictest silence hav- 
ing been enjoined, the order was for once 
obeyed. Dismounted men and grazing 
horses descried on the impending heights 
of Boobisa, soon caused dire alarm ; and 
consternation reached the climax when, on 
gaining the gorge of the hills overlooking 
the wilderness of Taboo, the scouts ran in 
breathless with intelligence that a large 



BOORCHUTTA WATER— BLOODY ARENA. 



303 



body of cava]ry occupied a rising ground 
not two miles from the van. The jingling 
bells around the necks of the mules having 
been muffled, the party, drawn up in battle 
array, advanced with the utmost caution, 
until the gleaming of the white garments 
and cross-emblazoned shields of the fancied 
foes proved them to be none other than the 
Meritshar detachment of horse under Ayto 
Nigdoo, who had been expressly called out 
to reinforce the Amhara in event of the 
Aroosi being abroad on a foray. 

Having joined the allies, who had in 
their turn been equally disconcerted at the 
appearance of the forces of Habti Mariam, 
the party proceeded to cross the valley of 
Jiggra Mulkinia, " the place where the 
guinea fowls feed." This fine level plain, 
hemmed in by high hills, presented a per- 
fect garden of wild flowers blossoming 
amid a most luxuriant second crop of grass, 
the result of a late conflagration. Many 
hundreds of the white-rumped mhorr brow- 
sed on it undisturbed, and the pintado and 
the partridge seemed to be without end. 
A belt of dog-rose bushes, camel-thorns, 
and a highly aromatic undergrowth which 
bordered the base of the range styled Juj- 
mba Kulla, harbored a small herd of ele- 
phants, and they were soon perceived lux- 
uriating among the young juicy reeds. 
But the retinue contrived as usual to put 
the whole to flight ; and under a furious 
thunder-storm, which in ten minutes cov- 
ered the whole plain with pools of water, 
the cavalcade, drenched to the skin, ar- 
rived at a late hour on the skirts of the 
Boorchutta water, where the night was to 
be passed. 

This singular well, which wears the 
semblance of the crater of a gigantic mine, 
is situated in the bosom of the almost per- 
pendicular mountain of Jujjuba Kulla. 
One narrow path, of barely sufficient width 
for the bulk of an elephant, leads to the 
water's edge, through the termination of a 
deep narrow gully with inaccessible banks. 
Enormous blocks and boulders of coal- 
black rock, which choke this channel for 
the last hundred yards, seem to have been 
canted out of the bowels of the earth by 
subterranean convulsion, and form a sort 
of revetment to the front of the circular 
pool, which measures sixty feet in diam- 
eter, and gave "no bottom." Behind, a 
gray broken wall rises perpendicularly 
from the basin to the height of two hun- 
dred feet, crossed by vermilion bands of 
lava, honeycombed with a thousand cavi- 
ties and fissures, and overgrown in parts 
with the most brilliant vegetation. The 
still, brimstone-colored waters were glassy 



smooth, and not a breath stirred within the 
deep suffocating crater, where the fall of a 
pin produced an echo like that of a whis- 
pering gallery. Black martins wheeled 
over the surface — pigeons cooed amid the 
clefts and crannies — and hairy baboons 
grimaced and chattered on the impending 
cliffs, from which trailed ten thousand 
fantastic roots, laid bare by the torrent that 
pours into the well during the rains from 
the ravine above — at some very remote 
period evidently a continuation of the chan- 
nel below, but severed from <it by violent 
volcanic agency. 

There being no other water for many 
miles around this reservoir, it forms the 
resort of all the numerous wild animals in 
the neighborhood ; and the narrow passage 
bore ample testimony to the nocturnal 
visits of the elephant and rhinoceros. The 
inhabitants of all the adjacent hamlets de- 
rive their supply hence, also by night — the 
Aroosi frequently lying in ambush to cut 
off parties who venture down during the 
day. Boorchutta is, in fact, the arena of 
constant bloody conflicts ; and not a month 
had elapsed since the ruthless barbarians 
slaughtered thirty-three Moslems whom 
they caught at the water, three of their 
own number only falling in the skirmish. 
Bowers of green boughs were constructed 
for the accommodation of the two govern- 
ors ; and the whole of the retainers, stand- 
ing to their arms with loins girt, danced 
and sang throughout the night around 
blazing watch-fires — great masses of light 
which were thrown into the shadowy 
abyss, and over the glittering spear-blades 
of the warriors, imparting the wildest ef- 
fect to the scene of sanguinary deeds. 

The night passed without any alarm, 
whether from assassin or wild beast ; and 
in order to complete the tour of the eastern 
frontier, an excursion was made at early 
dawn through the wilderness of Taboo to 
the Bosut hills ; the flowery meadows, 
shady groves, and rich uncultivated valleys 
which intervene, being tenanted by the 
Gamoo Galla, a pastoral tribe, beyond 
whom are the rebel Loomi. On terms of 
friendship with Sahela Selassie, and even 
acknowledging a sort of nominal allegiance 
to Shoa, it was not anticipated that the 
appearance of the Amhara would have 
caused alarm ; but believing the party of 
five hundred horse and foot to denote an 
irruption of the Aroosi, the cattle were 
driven off with all expedition to the sum- 
mits of the fastnesses, and' every village be- 
ing vacated in an instant, their inhabitants 
were to be seen clustering on the inacces- 
sible heights in momentary expectation of 



304 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



attack. Nothing could exceed the luxu- 
riance of the shady forests of Taboo, which 
bore evidences throughout of the presence 
of the giants among mammalia, and abound- 
ed in the piebald oryx, the agazin, the 
hartebeest, and the rnhorr — clamorous 
troops of guinea-fowl, which covered every 
open glade, completing the contrast to the 
silent regions of Shoa, so utterly destitute 
of animal life. 

In accordance with the impatient en- 
treaties of the governor, the party set out 
on its return early in the afternoon, and 
before sunset arrived at the village of 
Adelada, occupying the summit of a steep 
saddle-backed hill, and under the control 
of Ayto Nigdoo. Near it is the well of 
Wulawula, which, although smaller, is not 
very dissimilar from that of Boorchutta, a 
sleepy, funnel-shaped hollow, owing its 
existence to igneous agency. Crossing 
the Koorkuru, the Gubraiyo Sagur, and 
the Cosso rivulets, which are severally 
dissipated in the plain of the Karaiyo, the 
ascent to Wolagur was regained, and the 
embassy returned the following day to 
JDummakoo, laden with numerous valuable 
accessions to natural history, and in pos- 
session of every information to be acquired 
relative to this interesting but unsettled 
border. 

Of all the natural boundaries that are 
able to separate effectually contiguous 
countries of the main land, such a line 
both of old and new witnesses to the tur- 
bulent power of the subterranean element 
as had now been traced along the entire 
eastern frontier of Shoa, may safely be 
pronounced that best adapted to bring for- 
cibly to the minds of the divided nations, 
that limits are placed by the Almighty to 
the aspirations of aggrandizement. The 
Abyssinian Caucasus rises like a bulwark 
out of the ocean-like expanse of the Adel 
plain — and an ascent of a few hours will 
depress the mercury in the thermometer 
more than sixty degrees. Partaking of the 
very extremes in the physical constitution 
both of soil and atmosphere, the regions 
above require a race distinct from those 
below, and they are distinct as though di- 
vided by a broad intervening sea. Am- 
bition sometimes leads either the one or 
the other beyond the limit set, but a short 
and direful experience of the forbidden 
ground never fails to prove the untenable 
nature of the conquest. The uncompro- 
mising traveller, and the rover who deals 
in his fellow-men, alone thread their soli- 
itary journey through the neutral district. 
Its treacherous surface is clothed here with 
exuberant vegetation, yielding but to the 



bulk of the elephant, the buffalo, and the 
rhinoceros— there it exhibits iron-bound 
lava, which younger days saw vomited 
forth out of the yawning cleft to over- 
whelm the circumjacent land ; and while 
some of the latter now collect within the 
recesses of their dark chasms the fluids of 
the atmosphere to refresh the giant ten- 
ants of the wilderness, others pour* from 
their fervid bosoms salutary fountains to 
alleviate the sufferings of the human race. 
But the memory of the living generation 
records that revolutions have not ceased. 
Existing craters still resume at long in- 
tervals their old work of devastation ; and 
violent earthquakes now and then shake 
the country to the very base of the adaman- 
tine rampart which has been reared by the 
arm of Omnipotence in the heart of heath- 
en Africa, around the alpine abode of one 
million Christians. 



CHAPTER CXXI. 

THE KINGDOM OF SHOA. 

Although not at the present day that 
terrestrial paradise pictured by Jesuitical 
fancy, and although the majestic fabrics, 
the pillars of porphyry, and the Corinthian 
domes of early writers now exist only in 
the tradition, Ethiopia yet retains the fresh 
vegetation of a northern soil, the vivifying 
ardor of a tropical sun, and the cloudless 
azure of a southern sky. Palaces and 
fanes, gardens and gushing fountains, have 
long since departed with Prester John and 
his ancient glories ; but there still remains 
a fertile country possessing vast capabili- 
ties, a salubrious and delightful climate, 
and a race of beings whose existence un- 
der absolute and complete despotism, pre- 
sents a striking contrast to that of the idle 
and improvident Ada'i'el, whose pride and 
whose boast it is to be the free citizens of 
independent tribes. 

Whatever Abyssinia may once have 
been, it is not to be expected that she 
should, under a great lapse of time, again 
take place among those countries which 
are peculiarly happy, opulent, or abundant. 
All her prevailing customs and practices 
are utterly at variance with existing laws 
for the creation, consumption, and distri- 
bution of wealth. A heavy taxation is 
levied on the produce of the field. Mo- 
nastic and clerical establishments are fos- 
tered to the ruin of the people. The venal 
judges are paid by fees on the suits which 
they decide ; and popular superstition and 



FERTILITY OF THE SOIL— EQUABLE CLIMATE. 



305 



imposture possess the royal sanction for 
abuse. Nothing of aught that might be 
useful is ever taken into consideration. 
Here are no roads or bridges to facilitate 
traffic — no schools for the instruction of 
the rising generation. The improvements 
of life, although somewhat advanced, have 
stopped at the satisfying point 

" of barren, bare necessity. 

and fear and prejudice unite to deter the 
inhabitants from visiting foreign climes, 
whereby to enlighten their ignorant minds 
by modern inventions, or to improve their 
benighted country by a transfer of discov- 
eries in science. 

But although thus destitute of comfort 
even in their highest enjoyments, the peo- 
ple are yet considerably emerged from that 
state of society which is denominated bar- 
barian. Far elevated above the hunting 
or nomade savage, by the ability to domes- 
ticate and bring under subjection the in- 
ferior creation, they practice a species of 
agriculture which the fertility of the soil 
has heretofore blessed with an abundant 
return. Throughout the kingdom the eye 
is greeted by extensive cultivation ; and 
the art of husbandry in Shoa has far eclip- 
sed tne advances made by any nation 
hitherto visited on the western coast. 

Under certain despotic conditions, pri- 
vate property in the land is everywhere 
sanctioned and established. There are 
few forests or wastes, excepting those 
impracticable for pasture or cultivation. 
Farm-steadings and dwelling-houses re- 
pose secure from predatory bands or hos- 
tile neighbors, to embellish the aspect of 
the landscape ; and although thickly in- 
habited, the country is unburdened by any 
over population. 

Possessed of a fertile soil and of favora- 
ble seasons, a sufficient abundance is pro- 
duced for the mere maintenance of life 
without its luxuries. The processes of 
preparing the ground are somewhat com- 
plex. The plough is in use to the exclu- 
sion of the African hoe, and considerable 
industry is evinced in collecting and dis- 
tributing the waters for artificial irrigation. 
The science of husbandry is nevertheless 
little understood ; the implements of cul- 
ture are few, and all of the rudest construc- 
tion ; the various modes of assisting nature 
are entirely unknown ; due advantage is 
not taken of the capabilities of the coun- 
try ; and unless some civilized power in- 
terferes for good, a great length of time 
must necessarily elapse before the habits 
and prejudices of the uncultivated nation 
can be overcome for its own advantage. 



Situated in the middle of the torrid zone, 
and composed of groups and ranges of 
lofty mountains overlooking wide plains 
and deep valleys, equally under the influ- 
ence of the tropical rains, the climate at 
different elevations is one of the most va- 
ried description. The high table land, 
which is clothed with moderate vegetation, 
destitute of wood, and freely ventilated, is 
at all times cool and healthy, and often ex- 
tremely cold. Here there is no winter. 

" such as when birds die 
In the deep forest, and the fishes lie 
Stiffened in the translucent ice ;" 

neither does the sun blaze in malignant 
light on the head of the cultivator, nor do 
burning blasts unseasonably wither the 
crops. The coolness of the mountain 
breeze is pleasant and refreshing, and the 
timely cessation of the rain allows a health- 
ful rest to vegetation, while its periodical 
return soon produces the wonted display 
of young shoots and budding flowers. 

The low wooded valleys, on the other 
•hand, are close, unwholesome, and insuf- 
ferably hot. During the cold season the 
thermometer on the summit of the range 
stands at about 30°, a thin coating of ice 
covers the pools, and the country is white 
under a mantle of hoar frost. Below, the 
quicksilver mounts to 90°, and the total 
absence of breeze renders the heat still 
more oppressive. At the termination of 
the rains, fever, with all her attendant 
horrors, spreads her pestilential wings 
over the most beautiful locations ; and 
during the month of September even the 
wild birds for a time forsake the poisoned 
atmosphere, to seek the more congenial 
breezes of the upper regions. 

The amazing fertility of the vales is be- 
yond all -conception. Every species of 
crop attains the most gigantic proportions. 
The rich soil and the nurturing shelter, the 
abundant supply of water, and the ardent 
rays of the sun, all combine to crown the 
hopes of the husbandman ; and these situ- 
ations would have stood prominent as per- 
fect in the creation, had nature blessed 
them with a climate corresponding in char- 
acter to their lovely appearance. But like 
the apples of the asphaltus, the inviting 
beauty of the exterior forms but a gos- 
samer covering to the seeds of death 
which lurk within. 

Ascending, the vegetation on the moun- 
tain-side is somewhat inferior in luxuri- 
ance — a fact that may be accounted for by 
the angle at which the sun's rays meet the 
ground, their power of imparting heat vary- 
ing in proportion thereto. As the eastern 



306 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



face of the range rises almost perpendicu- 
larly, it can only during half the day re- 
ceive the rays at all ; and for many hours 
in the warmest part of the afternoon, the 
surface is entirely obscured in shadow. 

On the elevated plateaux, a succession 
of gentle undulations of pasture and arable 
land, intersected by green meadows, and 
bare-banked rivulets, rise in endless con- 
tinuation to the view, undisturbed by a 
solitary tree. Villages and farm houses 
proclaim a country which has long enjoyed 
the blessings of peace. The craggy 
mountains rise in magnificent ranges from 
the centre, divided each, by a thousand 
chasms, in whose depths run clear gush- 
, ing rills. Tangled bushes and evergreen 
shrubs diversity the cliffs, many of which 
are covered with magnificent woods. In 
every nook and " cdigne of 'vantage " are 
to be seen and scented the myrtle, the 
eglantine, and the jasmine. The inter- 
vening slopes, which form the most de- 
sirable sites of residence, are clothed in 
luxuriant crops, and in herbage fed by the 
oozing streams from above ; and at the 
foot of the range repose the rich and 
smiling valleys, hid in all the luxuriance 
of tropical foliage, from the gigantic syca- 
more, beloved of the heathen Galla, and 
measuring upward of forty feet in circum- 
ference, to the light and elegant acacia, 
which distils the much-prized gum. 

On the table-land the best soil is found 
on the sheltered hill-side, of a rich brown 
color, and along the river bank where 
there is a loamy alluvial deposit. Black 
earth is occasionally met with on the 
mountains, where it may probably have 
originated in the decomposition of those 
forests to which tradition gfives existence 
in ancient days, but of which no other 
vestige now remains. In the valleys, those 
which form the governments of Giddem 
and Geshe especially, the richest black 
soil prevails throughout ; and blessed with 
an abundant supply of rain, and with a 
mild genial climate, they present one un- 
broken scene of the most luxuriant culti- 
vation of all the crops known in Abys- 
sinia, while the soil on the surrounding 
mountain -side, light, loose, and gravelly, 
is well adapted for the growth of coffee 
and tea. 

Abyssinia is happy in a most copious 
supply of water, the gates of heaven being 
opened twice during the year to the flood- 
ing of every river and streamlet, and to the 
complete soaking of the earth. The " rain 
of bounty " commences in February, and 
lasts for thirty days, and the " rain of cov- 
enant " setting in before the termination of 



June, pours down with extreme violence 
throughout July, August, and September 
— at which period is produced that never- 
failing increase of the Nile to which Egypt 
is also indebted for her fertility. Immedi- 
ately after these down-pourings, nature, * 
who had remained bound up in the preced- 
ing drought, bursts forth into a thousand N 
interesting forms. Pastures and meadows 
are clothed in cheering green ; the hills 
and dales are adorned with myriads of 
beautiful and sweet-scented flowers, and 
the sides of the mountain ranges become 
one sheet of the most luxuriant cultivation. 
Long after the supp] of water has been 
drained from the skies, a heavy dew falls 
during the night ; and under its vivifying 
influence the plants continue to shoot forth 
with amazing luxuriance, refreshed alike 
by the pure coolness of the morning breeze, 
and strengthened by the strong heat of the 
mid-day sun. By the provident husband- 
man two crops are every year garnered in 
from the fat land, without its being impov- 
erished ; and while the ripe corn is being 
reaped in one field, the seed is but just de- 
posited in the next adjacent. The cattle 
are employed in ploughing up the fertile 
soil of one estate, while in the next the 
muzzled ox is trampling out its recently 
yielded treasures ; and. all the various op- 
erations of husbandry, from the breaking 
up of the ground to the final winnowing of 
the corn, may be simultaneously witnessed 
on one and the same farm. 

••Hie ver assiduum, atque alienis mensibus aestas. 
Bis gravida? pecudes, bis pomis utilis arbor." 

Forty-three species of grain and other 
useful products are already cultivated in 
Abyssinia. Besides supplying the imme- 
diate wants of the working classes, and 
those of a herd of clerical drones who de- 
vour the fruits of their honest labor, there 
is still a considerable surplus, which is bar- 
tered to the lazy Ada'iel for the produce of 
his salt lake — a field that without plough- 
ing or sowing yields up her inestimable 
crop. But if only a small portion of Euro- 
pean knowledge were to be instilled into 
the mind of the Christian cultivator, the 
kingdom of Shoa, possessed of such un- 
bounded natural advantages, might be rap- 
idly raised from its present primitive con- 
dition, and made one inexhaustible granary 
for all the best fruits of the earth. 

Natura beatis 
Omnibus esse dedit, si quis cognoverit uti." 



PASSION WEEK— EASTER EVEN. 



307 



CHAPTER CXXII. 

TERMINATION OF THE FAST OF LENT. 

Immediately upon the return of the 
British embassy from the eastern frontier, 
the king sent through his confidential page 
a message congratulatory on the recent 
success against the much-dreaded buffalo, 
and desired to receive a visit early the en- 
suing morning. In accordance with the 
etiquette invariably observed after a long 
absence, " pleasing things " were laid on 
the royal footstool, together with the tro- 
phies of the chase, and his majesty listened 
with great interest to a detail of adventures 
among his Adel subjects. On returning 
thanks for the injunctions issued to the 
governor of Berhut and his subordinates, 
and extolling the liberality which had dic- 
tated permission to visit a portion of the 
realm hitherto unviewed by Europeans, the 
most friendly assurances were repeated, 
that " he could not suffer his children to 
depart until they should have viewed the 
entire of his dominions." 

His majesty meanwhile remained seated 
on a hassock before the fire, under circum- 
stances of relaxation from state rarely wit- 
nessed within the palace walls. Akodd- 
Tnas, or silver coronets, with chain pendants, 
of the model worn by himself on occasions 
of triumph, and conferred as the last honor 
upon those who distinguish themselves in 
war or in the chase, were shortly produced, 
and with massive silver bracelets, delivered 
with a complimentary speech upon the is- 
sue of the expedition : " You have slain 
elephants and buffaloes, and are powerful 
in arms against the wild beasts of which 
my people are afraid," concluded the des- 
pot. " You have overwhelmed' me with 
rifles and other delightful inventions from 
the countries beyond the great sea, and 
must receive at my hands those things 
which my kingdom produces, in order that 
they may be worn on all proper occasions. 
You are my brothers." 

Striped cotton robes of Abyssinian manu- 
facture followed ; and three horses with 
plated silver bridles were subsequently pre- 
sented, which, although like other royal 
gifts in Shoa, of ridiculously inferior quali- 
ty, were valuable as tokens of favor that 
are lavished upon those alone who enjoy 
the most exalted place in his majesty's 
estimation. They did not fail to produce 
the desired effect upon popular opinion ; 
and sycophants who had before taxed the 
Gyptzis with an intention to seize the 
throne — to extinguish the race of Solomon, 
and to bring a curse upon the land by the 
atrocious process of burning the royal 



bread — now found it convenient to alter 
their sentiments, and to confer upon the 
foreign guests the ennobling, but not very 
enviable, appellation of " the king's bro- 
thers." 

The tedious fast of Hodadi, which for 
forty days had been observed in commem- 
oration of Lent by every individual of the 
population whose age exceeded thirteen 
years, was now to terminate. During three 
days the priests had neither eaten bread 
nor drunk water, but had remained in the 
churches singing and praying incessantly 
both day and night until Easter even, when 
the embassy were invited to the palace 
to witness their celebration of the royal 
victories, held according to immemorial 
custom during Passion Week. Sahela 
Selassie was clad in the plainest of gar- 
ments ; and although much enfeebled and 
emaciated by rigorous mortification, and 
especially by total abstinence from food and 
water, observed in accordance with the 
practice of the primitive church, since the 
preceding Good Friday, he appeared in high 
spirits at the prospect of speedy release 
from the irksome penance imposed. 

On this joyful occasion offerings are in- 
variably made to the throne ; and every 
individual of the crowd present, whether 
great or small, advancing in turn, contri- 
buted a mite according to his means — the 
wealthier bringing cotton cloths, and the 
more indigent, logs of wood, earthen jars, 
or stones of a description fitted for build- 
ing. Bands of warriors next entered the 
carpeted court-yard, howling the war-cho- 
rus ; and after the lapse of a few seconds, 
the gigantic Tunkaiye, who had earned 
laurels and been severely wounded during 
a recent foray against the Gentiles, dashed 
into the arena on horseback. Richly at- 
tired, bedizened with feathers, sarelis, and 
silver decorations, and escorted by a troop 
of fifty mounted retainers, he galloped up 
and down recounting his valorous exploits, 
and, pointing to the scars earned in the 
service of his royal master, shouted defi- 
ance to the enemies of the state. 

Eighty turbaned priests in solemn pro- 
cession next entered the court, clad in sa- 
cerdotal vestments. Led by the great em- 
broidered umbrellas of the church dedicated 
to St. George, they filed slowly into the 
space vacated by the warriors, the holy 
ark being supported by antique Egyptian 
figures, robed in long musty-looking ha- 
biliments of checkered hues, crowned 
with heavy mitres, and bearing in their 
hands rods of green rushes, bronze bells, 
crosses, and censers of burning incense, 
with an image of the madonna and a cru- 



308 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



cifix ; for although hating the papist with 
all their hearts the Abyssinians neverthe- 
less cherish many of the superstitions and 
buffooneries of the church of Rome. 

Having formed a semicircle before the 
throne, the priests, although much ex- 
hausted by their long abstinence, contin- 
ued during half an hour to dance and 
chant the words of the Apostle Paul in his 
Epistle to the Romans, " Christ was de- 
livered for our offences, and was raised 
again for our justification." A portion of 
the Dominical orison followed. Their 
united harsh voices were accompanied by 
the music of tambourines and kettle- 
drums, thumped with excessive violence, 
and by the jingle of the tsnasin, the Abys- 
sinian timbrel. This is the sisirum, an 
instrument supposed to be included under 
the Hebrew term tzitzelem, and being com- 
posed of a frame and movable bars of so- 
norous metal, it produces sounds which 
can best be compared to the rattle of the 
poker upon the tongs. 

Seven long years are passed in the ac- 
quisition of the accomplishments display- 
ed, which owe their invention to Saint 
Gareed, an aboon under the Emperor 
Guebra Maskal,* and the reputed inventor 
of church music in all its various branch- 
es. The constant practice of many hours 
during each day might not unreasonably 
be expected to lead to greater perfection 
than is displayed. From four in the morn- 
ing until nine, in every church in the 
kingdom, a similar clatter and noise is 
maintained, for the honor of the Christ- 
ian religion, not only on the Sabbath, 
but on all the numerous holydays and fes- 
tivals throughout the twelve months. 
Howling and screaming are the most ap- 
propriate terms by which to express the 
hoarse muster of cracked and ill-modula- 
ted voices ; and the band of stout priests 
who by their song nightly preserve the 
royal person from the influence of evil 
demons, must be acknowledged to have 
selected a right cunning stratagem to de- 
ter the approach of those spirits at least, 
that are gifted with any musical taste. 

The rehearsal of the praises and mar- 
tial achievements of the reigning sove- 
reign occupied another half hour, during 
which the dancing was even more bois- 
terous than ever. Taking their seats be- 
fore the throne, the priests of St. George, 
fairly worn out by their exertions, at length 
made way for those of " our Lady," who, 
after the enaction of similar absurdities, 
were followed in succession by those of 

* i. e. " Servant of the Cross. 



Medhanalem, Aferbeine, and St. Michael, 
the latter distinguished by the massive 
embossed silver umbrella. As the united 
body rent the air with renewed encomiums 
on the royal prowess in arms, delivered to 
them line by line by one of the alakas, 
his majesty put a series of interrogatories 
to his guests, as to whether similar cere- 
monies were performed before the sove- 
reigns of Egypt during the holy institution 
of Lent ? — whether the Coptic priesthood 
there were not less elegantly habited than 
the Abyssinian dignitaries present ! — and 
whether the Ethiopic fasts were observed 
in St. Thomas's town" or in any other 
part of the Christian world ? At the com- 
mencement of Kenona, the three last days 
of Lent, he had sent a message to the 
effect that " the people would eat nothing 
for forty hours, but that, knowing the 
Gyptzis did not keep strong fast, he had 
commanded the purveyor-general to send 
the usual daily supplies of bread and hy- 
dromel to the residency." 

The edifying conversation was however 
suddenly interrupted by the cessation of 
the priestly voices. Rising and standing 
on the throne, the monarch now received 
in succession, at the hands of the dwarf 
father-confessor, the carved croziers of 
brass or silver, belonging to the numerous 
functionaries of the five churches, many 
hundreds in number ; and with exemplary 
devoutness he raised all in turn to his lips. 
With each sacred symbol of the season, was 
handed a rod of green rushes, and every 
person present followed the royal example, 
by wreathing a fillet about his brows, to be 
worn during the residue of the day. Lar- 
gesses, with new silver crosses, were then 
presented to the several alakas, who were 
invested with striped cotton robes, and 
charged with alms for distribution to the 
poor. 

During this tedious process, whereof 
the king seemed no less heartily weary 
than were his guests, Tekla Mariam, the 
state scrivener, had been carefully ex- 
tracting from an endles succession of en- 
velopes and dirty cotton bags and wrap- 
pers, something which he appeared equally 
desirous to conceal and to disclose. Draw- 
ing one of the party mysteriously into a 
dark corner, he partially revealed a rudely 
carved block of wood, presenting nothing 
very remarkable jn its appearance, but 
evidently much prized by the possessor. 
" You will have perceived," whispered the 
learned man in a scarcelv audible voice— 



* India is known to the Abvssinians as the land of 
St. Thomas. 



EASTER MORNING— HIGH FESTIVAL. 



309 



u you will doubtless have perceived that 
this is a fac-simile of the table of the law 
delivered to Moses on the Mount. It re- 
quires nothing but the Ten Command- 
ments ; and with these I have no question 
that you will be able to furnish me with 
a copy in the unknown tongue." 

Oxen, assembled for consumption in the 
city on the termination of the great fast, 
completely choked the road down from the 
palace. Of five hundred head brought to- 
gether with this munificent design, there 
was not one that appeared to possess an- 
other hour of natural existence, all being 
alike meagre, diseased, and so horribly 
emaciated as to recall vividly to mind the 
aged pensioners of a Hindoo cattle asylum 
in the East. Many had actually died since 
their arrival within the inclosure, and it 
appeared wonderful whence so many sick- 
objects had been collected. Yet the libe- 
rality of the monarch was vaunted and 
extolled by all who were to share it ; and 
it was unanimously declared that the fault 
rested solely with the public officers who 
had been intrusted with the royal com- 
mands. 

His majesty, who during Passion Week 
had been very regular in his vigils and 
attendance at divine service, passed the 
greater part of the night in St. Michael's 
church, and on the first crowing of the 
cock on Easter morning broke his long 
fast. The feasting now became general. 
The five hundred oxen having been slaugh- 
tered, were devoured raw in the various 
quarters of the city, the streets whereof 
ran red with blood ; and, whether in eating 
or in drinking, every inhabitant appeared 
exerting himself to the utmost to make up 
as expeditiously as possible for the weary 
restraint that had been imposed on his ap- 
petite. Numbers were soon to be seen 
ranging the streets in brutal intoxication ; 
while the court buffoon, at the head of a 
party of drunken fiddlers, made his way to 
the dwelling of every principal person, and 
recited his praises in a series of extempo- 
raneous couplets. 

According to immemorial custom, two 
state prisoners were liberated from Goncho 
on the occasion of these festivities — the 
royal clemency not, however, extending to 
any of the hapless and unoffending mem- 
bers of the blood royal, who have shared 
the dungeon from infancy. During one 
week a public table is kept by the viceroy, 
to which all the town's people of every 
grade resorting, drunken brawls and bro- 
ken heads are diurnal occurrences. Oxen, 
bread, and mead were liberally supplied, 
by the royal command, to the long train 



of worthless menials at the residency ; and 
in such high good humor were the priest- 
hood, that, forgetting all their former mal- 
edictions and denunciations, they were 
pleased to ascribe a recent heavy fall of 
rain, which had proved highly beneficial 
to the husbandman, solely to the agency 
of " the king's strong strangers." 



CHAPTER CXXIII. 

FESTIVITIES OF EASTER. 

Easter-day, instead of being celebrated 
on the Sunday following the first full moon 
after the vernal equinox, is in Abyssinia 
kept one lunation later. On its recurrence, 
the embassy received a special invitation 
to the annual public banquet held in the 
palace ; and ascending the hill in full uni- 
form, were preceded by the capering leader 
of the royal band. " Let me sing — I will 
sing," he exclaimed, as the attendants 
would have restrained his antics ; " why 
should not the father of song dance before 
the fathers of gold ?" Tents had been 
erected in the court-yard, and a separate 
repast provided for the foreign guests. 
Countless crowds, decked out in their gay- 
est apparel, filled every avenue and inclo- 
sure ; and long files of slaves, with jars, 
baskets, and trenchers, hurrying to and 
fro from the kitchens and magazines, pro- 
claimed the extensive nature of the prepa- 
rations making for the regal entertainment. 

At eight o'clock the doors of the great 
hall were thrown open, and a burst of wild 
music from the royal band ushered in the 
company to a spacious barn-like apartment, 
the dingy aspect of which formed a striking 
contrast to the galaxy of light that illu- 
mines regal hospitality in Europe. Hold- 
ing high festival to the entire adult popu- 
lation of the metropolis, who for six weeks 
past had subsisted on cow-kail and stinging 
nettles, the king reclined in state within a 
raised alcove, furnished with the wonted 
velvet cushions and tapestries, and loaded 
with silver ornaments — the abridgement 
of ancient Ethiopic magnificence. Priests, 
nobles, warriors, baalomaals, and pages 
stood around the throne, which was flank- 
ed by a long line of attendants, bearing 
straight silver falchions of antique Roman 
model, belonging to the different churches. 
Bull-hides carpeted the floor ; and the lofty 
walls of the chamber, although destitute 
of architectural decoration, were hung 
throughout with a profusion of richly em- 
blazoned shields, from each of which de- 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



pended a velvet scarf or cloak, of every 
hue and color in the rainbow. 

A low horse-shoe table of wicker-work, 
supported upon basket-pedestals, extended 
the entire length of the hall. Thin un- 
leavened cakes of sour teff, heaped one 
upon the other, served as platters. Moun- 
tains of vvheaten bread, piled in close con- 
tiguity, and strewed with fragments of 
stewed fowls, towered two and three feet 
above the surface of the groaning board. 
Bowls containing a decoction of red pep- 
per, onions, and grease, were flanked by 
long-necked decanters of old mead ; and 
at short intervals stood groups of slaves, 
carrying baskets crammed with reeking 
collops of raw flesh, just severed from the 
newly-slain carcass. 

Taking their seats in treble rows upon 
the ground, the crowded guests were each 
provided with his own knife, fashioned like 
a reaping-hook, and serving him equally 
in the battle-field and at the banquet. Four 
hundred voracious appetites, whetted by 
forty days of irksome abstinence, were con- 
stantly ministered to by fresh arrivals of 
quivering flesh from the court-yard, w r here 
oxen in quick succession were being thrown 
down and slaughtered in the name of the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Ba- 
rilles and capacious horns filled with hy- 
dromel of intoxicating age, were rapidly 
drained and replenished under the eye of 
the monarch ; and strings of eunuchs with 
the females pertaining to the royal kitchen, 
clad in gala dresses and striped cotton robes, 
passed and repassed continually with inter- 
minable supplies of bread to rebuild the de- 
molished fabric on the uprising of each sa- 
tiated group. 

Again the great doors were thrown open, 
and another set entered, amid the increas- 
ing din. Harpers and fiddlers played, dan- 
ced, and sang with untiring perseverance ; 
and ever and anon one of the king's female 
choristers lilted up her shrill voice with the 
most extravagant panegyric on the hospi- 
tality and munificence of her royal master, 
or bust forth into unqualified eulogy on the 
liberality of his British guests. 

" In stature like the lance he bears, 
His godlike mien the prince declares; 
And fam'd for virtue through the land 
All bow to Saloo's just command. 

"The sabre feels the royal grasp, 
And Pagans writhe in death's cold clasp; 
The Galla taste the captive fare, 
And dread the vengeance which they dare." 

"Our warriors tremble at the sight of the mighty ele- 
phant, but he sinks prostrate beneath the guns of the 
white men — Weiho, weilio, 

They are a brave nation. 



" We have been loaded with strange gifts, for the 
white men hold in their hands the keys of health and 
wealth — Weiho, 

They are a great nation. 

"Then hail to the friends who came o'er the wide 
water, 
Strangers and guests from a far distant land ; 
And welcome to Shoa, the fortune which brought 
her 
The lords of the daring and generous hand." 

The royal band, which occupied the 
space vacant in the centre between the 
tables, is composed of many wind instru- 
ments of various lengths and sizes — the 
embilla having a perforation to which the 
lips are applied as in the flute, while the 
maldkat is fashioned after the form of a 
trombone. No performer possesses above 
one pipe, nor, like the Russian, is he mas- 
ter of more than one note. Tune there is 
none — each playing according to the dic- 
tates of his own taste, un guided by any 
musical scale. After the hoarse and terri- 
ble blast of the trumps, the symphony falls 
soft upon the ear, like the wild cadence of 
a Pan's pipe blown over by the wind ; and 
it was on this occasion curiously contrast- 
ed with the deep thunder of the kubbero, 
which pealed without intermission from the 
secret apartments of the queen. 

The harp, styled bugana, is a truly strange 
fabrication of wood, leather, and sheep's 
entrails. It presents the appearance of an 
old portmanteau which has been built upon 
by children with the rudest materials, in 
imitation of the lyre of the days of Jubal. 
Possessing five strings, and used only as 
an accompaniment to the voice, the mono- 
tonous notes produced are in strict unison 
with the appearance of the instrument; 
and even in the halls of Menilek, where 
the chords are struck by a master finger, 
they shed " no soul of music," and might 
be mute with advantage. 

What then is to be said to the Abys- 
sinian fiddle, whose squeaking voice presi- 
ded at this festive board ? Alas ! the in- 
harmonious sounds elicited by the grating 
contact of the bow might lead to the con- 
clusion that the unhappy spirit of music 
was confined in the interior, and uttered 
harsh screams and moans as fresh tortures 
were inflicted on her agonized sinews ! A 
gourd, or a hollow square of wood, is cov- 
vered with a skin of parchment as a sound- 
ing-board, and furnished with a rude neck 
and a single string. Years of practice 
have imparted to Dag hie, the court buffoon, 
an extraordinary degree of excellence ; but 
even he is not Paganini ; and every ama- 
teur performer in the realm, considering 
himself at perfect liberty to scrape through- 
out the day with soul-harrowing perse- 



WOOSEN SUGGUD'S PALACE— CAVE OF WOTI. 



311 



verance, unlucky, indeed, must be pro- 
nounced the site of that residence which is 
adjacent to the proprietor of a masanko. 

As Easter day drew on to its close, the 
riotous mirth of uncontrolled festivity wax- 
ed louder within the palace walls, while 
quarrels and drunken brawls prevailed 
throughout the city. The carousal con- 
tinued until dark, by which time the bones 
of three hundred and fifty steers had been 
picked — countless measures of wheat had 
been consumed — and so many hogsheads 
of potent old hydromel had been drained 
to the dregs, that saving the royal and mu- 
nificent host, scarcely'one sober individual, 
whether noble or plebeian, was anywhere 
to be seen. It is indeed a fortunate cir- 
cumstance for the foreigner that the nation, 
with its present crude instruments, is not 
infected with a musical mania. Melody 
has hardly recovered from the throes of a 
most protracted labor ; and her deformed 
bantling having not yet acquired sufficient 
strength to exert his lungs as a public nui- 
sance, the silence of night is rarely disturb- 
ed by sleep-dispelling minstrelsy such as 
closed the festivities of the Abyssinian Eas- 
ter. 



CHAPTER CXXIV. 

saint george's day. 

At Kondie, in the church dedicated to 
the patron saint of England, lie interred 
the remains of Woosen Suggud, and thith- 
er, according to wont, the despot proceeded 
on Saint George's day.* The sepulchre 
of the departed monarch is screened from 
gaze amid a sombre grove of evergreen 
juniper, assuming the shapes, some of the 
cedar, others of the cypress and the yew : 

" Dark trees still sad when others' grief is fled, 
The only constant mourners o'er the dead." 

Kings alone are honored with a coffin. 
Manufactured of sweet wood, and perforat- 
ed with many apertures, it is placed on 
stone trestles amid clouds of frankincense, 
and after a season removed into the mau- 
soleum ; the walls of which are usually 
bedaubed with designs intended to com- 
memorate the expldts in the hunting field, 
the military actions, and the heroic achieve- 
ments of the royal occupant. His majes- 
ty's orisons at the shrine of his father be- 
ing concluded, he turned his s'eps to the 
palace, now fast falling to decay, which 
formed the scene of the assassina ion of the 
despotic tyrant. Surrounded by the former 

* 3rd of May. 



capital of Shoa, it occupies the bleak sum- 
mit of one of the loftiest mountains in the 
range, and commands a magnificent pros- 
pect over the greater portion of Efat. 
Mamrat, now diminished from thirteen to 
one thousand feet, no longer loomed a gi- 
ant; and through the clouds which flitted 
across its bosom lay revealed the only path 
by which the royal treasures are accessi- 
ble. Stupendous acclivities, frowning with 
black fragments of rock, form the barrier 
from the low country, expanded like a 
chart below ; and the white peak of Woti, 
rising from dark dense forests of timber, 
and terminating in a basaltic column, now 
formed the most conspicuous feature in the 
rugged landscape. 

" You observe those forests," inquired 
his majesty, pointing after a iong silence 
to the gloomy masses of foliage which 
stretched away toward the long white 
storehouses of Aramba : " they conceal a 
cavern into which no creature can enter 
and live. The man who should venture 
one step beyond the entrance would be 
seen no more. If a dog goes in, or a bird, 
or even a serpent, it will surely die. There 
is no bottom to that cave, and none, can 
say whither it leads. Formerly people 
went to cut w T ood in the neighborhood. A 
man lost his way and was unheard of for 
months. His friends believed him dead. 
They mourned for him, and scratched their 
temples, and he was forgotten. Suddenly 
he reappeared, reduced to a skeleton, and 
looking like a ghost. They brought him 
to me to know what should be done with 
him. He had lived like the gureza upon 
wild berries, and when I asked him what 
he had seen, he replied that he had seen 
the devil. Woti is a bad place, and the 
forests tike fire, and all my subjects fear 
to go thither." 

A catastrophe of this nature had recent- 
ly taken place ; and a quantity of fuel 
stored for the royal kitchen having been 
destroyed, it was the king's present object 
to ascertain the extent of damage sustained. 
Ayto Wolda Hana exerted his cracked 
voice in loud complaints of others, and so 
,thaf. himself escaped the much-dreaded 
censure, the old man evidently cired not 
much who suffered. Herein he was so far 
successful, that the sub-governor of the 
district was fined in the amount of one 
hundred dollars, about ten times the value 
of property destroyed, and every male in- 
habitant of the neighborhood received sen- 
tence of imprisonment. 

The cold summit of Kondie is clothed 
with heather and with the jibera, a lofty 
species of lobelia, which attains the height 



812 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



of fifteen or twenty feet. This, too, is be- 
lieved to have a prejudicial effect upon the 
passer by, and often to cause death. Re- 
turning, the royal cortege waged active 
war against every plant by the way-side — 
and his majesty sustained an active part in 
hostilities designed to counteract the evil 
influence. Bands of warriors charging on 
horseback delivered their spears simulta- 
neously, and the doomed tree, if not cut 
over, was at least transfixed by a score of 
shafts. Excelling in skill, the jnonarch 
betted heavily upon every throw, and rare- 
ly did he lose. At forty yards the lance 
left his hand with unerring precision, and 
perforating the soft pulpy stem immedi- 
ately below the bushy head, often passed 
quite through, to fall on the other side. 

" Where is the commander ?" exclaimed 
his majesty in merry mood ; " where did 
he learn to throw a spear ? Now, Gaita," 
he continued, " I will give you a mule if 
you hit that tree, and if you do not, by the 
death of Woosen Suggud you shall forfeit 
your best rifle." The first lance passed 
through the stem, and the second threw its 
crown upon the ground. The ruler of 
Shoa was obviously satisfied ; but while 
the mule completely escaped his treache- 
rous recollection, the " best rifle," alas ! 
had been already doomed to change hands 
— and it remained but a brief period in 
those of the lawful proprietor. 

Hunting down the partridge with dogs 
occupied the residue of the day. Parties 
stationed themselves at intervals along the 
heather-grown slopes of the hills, where 
the bird abounds, and by dint of unceasing 
persecution kept the victim selected so 
perpetually on the wing, that after three 
or four long flights it was unable to rise 
again. Many were thus killed with sticks, 
or taken alive ; but wherever his majesty 
was forthcoming, a long double-barrelled 
fowling piece was rested over the shoulder 
of an attendant to insure steady aim — and 
the wearied quarry, believing itself safe in 
a bush, was suddenly blown to atoms by a 
coup de fusil. 

Northern Abyssinia was now in a more 
disturbed state than ever ; and numerous 
youths, who had attempted to proceed to 
Gondar for the purpose of being ordained, 
had been compelled to abandon the journey, 
and return to Ankober. They brought ti- 
dings of an engagement between Ras Ali 
and Dedjasmach* Oubie, which had been 

* Dedjasmach, often contracted to Dedjach, signifies 
"the warrior of the door," and is the title of govern- 
ors under the puppet emperor of Ethiopia. As in the 
Ottoman empire the pacha is distinguished by the num- 
ber of his tails, so is the dedjasmach by the number of his 



fought at Salem Okko, in the vicinity of 
Debra Tabor. The ras being personally 
opposed to his rebel vassal was believed to 
have fallen early in the day. His rumor- 
ed death proving the signal for disorder 
and retreat, the camp was left in posses- 
sion of the enemy, who consigned it to the 
flames, under the conviction that victory 
was theirs. But the leader had merely 
fled ; and as the evening closed, his parti- 
sans, recovering from their panic, rallied, 
and fell with irresistible fury on the victors, 
who were little prepared for further hos- 
tilities; and the execrated tyrant Oubie, 
who carries with him the curses of his op- 
pressed subjects, was, with his two sons, 
made prisoner. 

Abba Salama, the aboon, who is equally 
respected by all parties, was in the camp of 
the vanquished, but the holy man found an 
honorable asylum. The spiritual despot- 
ism exercised by the primate from the first 
moment of his arrival in Abyssinia, calls 
vividly to mind the period when the man- 
dates of the pope were as implicitly obey- 
ed, and his ghostly influence similarly 
dreaded by the potentates of Europe ; and 
independently of his spiritual power, which 
exalts him greatly above the most potent 
rulers of the land, his holiness is far from 
being contemptible as a temporal prince. 
The hundred and eighth successor to St. 
Mark the Evangelist, reclining in his hum- 
ble divan within the Coptic quarters at 
Cairo, surrounded by the dignity of coffee 
and pipes, would ill recognize his juvenile 
delegate at Gondar, where both these lux- 
uries are held in abomination, could he 
behold him in the enjoyment of revenues 
many times in excess of his own — ordain- 
ing a thousand priests in a single day — 
and receiving the homage of all the proud 
actors engaged in the troubled drama of 
Abyssinian politics. 

War had not visited Shoa ; but the peace 
of many a family was yet to be disturbed 
by an arbitrary proceeding on the part of 
the crown. As the period of the king's 
departure from the capital drew nigh, ma- 
ny of the royal slaves who had voluntari- 
ly sold their liberty during the great famine 
of St. Luke,* casting themselves at the 
footstool of the throne, implored the resto- 
ration of freedom in consideration of many 
long years of servitude. Enraged at what 
he termed the ingratitude of those whom 

kettle-drums. He is entitled to one for each province 
under his control, and loses no opportunity of finding 
his account in the troubled waters by asserting inde- 
pendence. 

* Each year is in Abyssinia dedicated to one of the 
four Evangelists, according to the order of the Gospels 



TYRANNICAL EDICT— SLAVE-TRADE IN SHOA. 



313 



he had fed when they must otherwise 
have starved, his majesty, laboring under 
a strange infatuation, bade them " begone," 
and, in utter defiance of all the existing 
laws of the realm, that day promulgated 
an edict, through the royal herald, that 
from henceforth the progeny of all his nu- 
merous slaves, whether the offspring of 
free fathers or of free mothers, should be 
accounted his sole property, and should 
forthwith render themselves to be enrolled 
by his drivers, and have their daily task 
allotted. 

The capital was in . a state of wild con- 
fusion and consternation. Weeping and 
wailing resounded in every hut, and no 
Abyssinian possessed sufficient courage to 
oppose the dictates of the angry despot. 
The presence of the British embassy now 
proved of that salutary and commanding 
influence which humanity and civilization 
must ever exert over barbarity and savage 
ignorance. Deeming the opportunity im- 
perative, and considering the chance of 
success to be well worth the risk of a mis- 
understanding with the court, his majesty 
was earnestly entreated to reflect, "that 
the name of Sahela Selassie, hitherto so 
beloved of all, would lcse a portion of its 
lustre and brightness ; that all men are 
mortal ; that kings do not reign for ever ; 
and that the groans of his unhappy sub- 
jects, the props of his power and kingdom, 
who had heretofore lived in the enjoyment 
of the liberty to which they were born, but 
were now pining heart-broken in the thral- 
dom of slavery, would add little to the com- 
fort of the close of his illustrious life." 

This petition on the part of his Euro- 
pean children, backed by the remonstrance 
which accompanied it, was attended with 
the most satisfactory results. The king, 
who had still the fear of God before his 
eyes, avowed, " that the act had proceeded 
in a hurried moment of wrath, and that 
his guests had made him thoroughly sen- 
sible of its injustice and cruelty." The 
offensive proclamation was on the instant 
annulled ; and four thousand seven hun- 
dred unfortunate victims to its promulga- 
tion, released from the house of bondage 
and from the degrading shackles of slave- 
ry, after they had renounced all hope of 
redemption, returned to their homes and to 
their families, blessing as they went, the 
name of " the white men." 



21 



CHAPTER CXXV. 

SLAVERY AND THE SLAVE-TRADE IN SHOA. 

On reverting to the. remotest period 
since which slavery has been prevalent 
among the human race, it will be evident 
that war has formed the principal cause 
which first gave rise to the monstrous 
crime of selling our fellow-creatures like 
cattle in the market. One nation having 
taken from another a greater number of 
captives than could be exchanged on equal 
terms, it is easy to comprehend how the 
victors, finding the maintenance of their 
prisoners expensive and inconvenient, first 
compelled them to labor for daily bread, 
and subsequently for the support of others. 
Emerged from the limited wants of savage 
life, man next saw' productions of art 
which he eagerly coveted ; and lacking 
those habits of steady industry by which 
to earn them for himself, he compelled all 
whom superior strength or other advan- 
tages enabled him to bring under subjec- 
tion, to labor in supplying him with lux- 
uries. 

In Africa especially, where from time 
immemorial human passions have been 
unbridled, and man imitates the ferocity of 
the beasts of prey, war has, throughout 
every age, proved the most prevailing 
source of slavery. The great national 
contests betwixt state and state, which 
daily tear her entrails, afford a never-dry- 
ing spring of misery and bondage to her 
unhappy children. Proceeding from causes 
not very dissimilar to those which produce 
wars among the civilized nations of the 
globe, the invariable result is that all who 
are not slain on the battle-field, or massa- 
cred in the.sacking of towns and villages, 
become for life the bondsmen of the vic- 
tors — the weak and unsuccessful warrior, 
who sues for mercy beneath the uplifted 
spear of his opponent, renouncing at the 
same time his claim to liberty, and pur- 
chasing existence at the expense of freedom. 

War, then, the favorite pursuit of Afric's 
savage sons, is unquestionably tAe most 
general, as well as the most proline source 
of her slavery ; and the desolation which 
follows in its train not unfr-^quently gives 
birth to famine*, during the prevalence of 
which, as in the preset instance, the free- 
man too often becomes a voluntary slave, 
in order to avoid ine greater calamity of 
inevitable starvation. By the philosophic 
and reflecting- mind death would doubtless 
be esteemed the lighter evil of the two ; 
but the untutored savage, fainting with 
hunger, thinks, with Esau of old, "Behold 



314 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



I am at the point to die— what profit shall 
this birthright do to me 1" 

Crime, necessity arising from distress, 
insolvency, the inhumanity of a harsh 
creditor, a spirit of retaliation in petty dis- 
putes, and the sordid love of gain, for 
which parents will even sell their own 
children, severally assist in feeding the de- 
mand for slaves— the law of every African 
state, either tolerating or directly sanction- 
ing the evil ; and wherever the Moham- 
madan faith prevails, frequent predatory 
incursions, characterized by the most atro- 
cious violence, are made into the territories 
of all neighboring infidels, who, in that 
eager spirit of proselytism which burns so 
fiercely in the breast of every adherent of 
the Prophet, are systematically hunted 
down and entrapped as a religious duty. 

Slaves in Africa, are thus in proportion 
to the freemen of about three to one ; but 
although the number of individuals redu- 
ced to a state of bondage by the operation 
of the above causes, and the destruction 
created, both as regards life and property, 
is immense, the whole combined are but 
as a single grain of dust in the balance, 



when compared with the slavery, the desti 
tution, and the desolation, that is daily en- 
tailed by the unceasing bloody struggles be- 
twixt state and state. Towns and villages 
are then obliterated from the face of the 
earth ; and thousands upon thousands of 
the population, of whatever age or sex, 
are hurried into hopeless captivity. 

In a country reft into ten thousand petty 
governments, the majority of which are 
independent and jealous one of the other ; 
where every freeman, inured to arms from 
the first hour that he is capable of bearing 
them, pants for an opportunity of display- 
ing his valor in the field, and passes his 
life in a series of military achievements ; 
where the folly and mad ambition of the 
ruWs, prompted by an ardor to revenge 
some real or fancied insult ; the cherished 
recollection of hereditary feuds ; the out- 
raged feelings of domestic and paternal 
attachment ; the love of plunder, inherent 
in every savage breast, and the bigoted 
zeal of religious enthusiasts, all conspire 
to afford ho«fly pretexts for war — the 
sword of desoW.ion is never suffered to 
rust within the scabbard. The fact of one 
nation being stronger or more potent than 
another is even sufficient ; and while hos- 
tilities, originating frequently in the most 
frivolous provocations, are prosecuted with 
relentless and sanguinary fury, robbery on 
a great and national scale, forming one of the 
chief features of African character, is al- 
most universally prevalent. Here it is 



perpetrated by no concealed or proscribed 
ruffian, an outcast from social life, who 
shrinks from the gaze of man, or the broad 
blaze of day ; neither is it limited to those 
poorer tribes who possess the temptation 
of rich caravans skirting their borders in 
progress to distant lands. Each needy 
soldier seeks with his sword to redress the 
unequal distribution made by the hand of 
fortune. Princes, kings, and the most dis- 
tinguished warrior chieftains, consider it a 
glory to place themselves . at the head of 
an expedition undertaken solely for pur- 
poses of plunder ; and the crime of steal- 
ing human beings, in order to sell them 
into foreign markets, which, with all its 
attendant circumstances of cruelty and 
horror, is so widely practiced throughout 
the benighted continent, is one in which 
the greatest of sovereigns do not hesitate 
to participate. 

The following narrative by a native of 
the village of Siippa, in Enarea, detailing 
the history of his capture and subsequent 
vicissitudes, may be taken as a fair speci- 
men of the usual circumstances attending 
the transfer of the kidnapped victim from 
one merciless dealer to another, in his pro- 
gress to Abyssinia through the interior 
provinces which form the focus of slavery 
in the northeast. 

"When twenty years of age, being en- 
gaged in tending the flocks of Betta, my 
father, an armed band of the Ooma Galla, 
with whom my tribe had long been in en- 
mity, swept suddenly down, and took my- 
self with six other youths prisoners, killing 
four more who resisted. Having been kept 
bound hand and foot during five days, I was 
sold to the Toome Galla, one of the near- 
est tribes, for thirty amoles (about six shil- 
lings and threepence sterling.) The bar- 
gain was concluded in the Toome market- 
place, which is called Sundaffo, where, in 
consequence of the dearness of salt, two 
male slaves are commonly bought for one 
dollar; and after nightfall the Mohammadan 
rover, by whom I had been purchased, came 
and took me away. 

" Having been kept bound in his house 
another week, I was taken two days' jour- 
ney with a large slave caravan, and sold 
privately to the Nono Galla for a few ell3 
of blue calico. My companions in cap- 
tivity were assorted according to their age 
and size, and walked in double file, the 
stout and able-bodied only, whereof I was 
one, having their hands tied behind them. 
In Meegra, the market-place of the Nono, 
I was, after six weeks' confinement, sold 
I by public auction to the Agumcho Galla 
I for forty pieces of salt (value eight shillings 



SLAVE MARTS— REVENUES TO THE CROWN. 



315 



and four pence.) Thence I was taken to 
the market-place which is beyond Sequala, 
on the plain of the Hawash, and sold for 
seventy pieces of salt to the Soddo Galla, 
and immediately afterward to Roque, the 
great slave mart in the Yerrur district, 
where I was sold for one hundred amoles" 
being \L sterling. 

"From Roque I was driven to Alio 
Amba, in Shoa, where a Mohammadan 
subject of Sahela Selassie purchased me 
in the market of Abdel Russool for twelve 
dollars ; but after three months, my mas- 
ter falling into disgrace, the whole of his 
property was confiscated, and I became the 
slave of the negoos, which I still am, al- 
though permitted to reside with my family, 
and only called upon to plough, reap, and 
carry wood. Exclusive of halts, the jour- 
ney from my native village occupied fifteen 
days. I was tolerably fed, and not mal- 
treated. All the merchants through whose 
hands I passed were Mohammadans ; and 
until within a few stages of Alio Amba I 
was invariably bound at night, and thus 
found no opportunity to escape. Prior to 
my own enslavement I had been extensive- 
ly engaged as a kidnapper, and in this ca- 
pacity had made party in three great slave 
hunts into the country of the Doko negroes 
beyond Caffa ; in the course of which four 
thousand individuals of both sexes were 
secured." 

From Enarea and Gurague, the two slave 
marts principally frequented by the dealers 
in human flesh who trade through the Abys- 
sinian states, the traffic is conducted to the 
sea- coast via Sennaar, Argobba, Aussa, and 
Hurrur — importations into Shoa passing 
through the kingdom by two great high- 
ways from the interior. The first is by 
Ankober to the market-place of Abdel Rus- 
sool, where purchases are eagerly made by 
the caravan traders from Hurrur, Zeyla, 
.ind Tajiira ; the other by Debra Libanos to 
r he market of Antzochia adjoining Asselleli, 
the frontier town on the north, whence they 
pass through Upper Abyssinia to Masso- 
wah and Raheita, supplying also the Aussa 
caravans, which come to Dowwe, on the 
frontier of Worra Kaloo. 

In addition to a tax of one in every ten, 
Sahela Selassie possesses the right of pre- 
emption of all slaves that pass through his 
dominions, his governors selecting and sub- 
mitting for the royal approval those which 
appear best worthy of consideration, when 
a price placed by the holder on the head 
of each is modified by his majesty at pleas- 
ure. A transit duty of four pieces of salt 
is further levied upon every individual, 
male or female, of whatever age, exposed 
21* 



for sale or barter ; and the number annu- 
ally exported by the roads above named 
being estimated at from fifteen to twenty 
thousand, the revenue derived from the 
traffic in his fellow-men by the Christian 
monarch may be averaged at eight hundred 
pounds. 

It is calculated, upon good data, that his 
majesty's household slaves, male and fe- 
male, exceed eight thousand. Of the lat- 
ter, three hundred are concubines of the 
royal harem ; and of the former, fifty are 
eunuchs. The residue of both sexes are 
employed in a variety of servile offices, and 
they each receive a portion of barley suffi- 
cient to compose two small loaves. Be- 
yond this they must provide their own 
maintenance : many whose business it is 
to fetch fuel from the royal forests, being, 
however, suffered to dispose of whatever 
wood they can carry away in addition to 
the load imposed ; while the whole, after 
the due performance of their allotted task, 
are permitted, according to their respective 
functions, to hire themselves to private in- 
dividuals. 

Slavery is hereditary, not only on the 
side of the mother, but also on that of the 
father ; and if a free woman weds a slave, 
her progeny becomes the property of the 
owner of her husband. But the bondsmen 
of the king, it has been seen, form an ex- 
ception to this rule, their offspring being 
free if born of a free woman — a privilege 
which may be traced to the circumstance 
of the royal slaves having a stated duty to 
perform, for which a certain daily allow- 
ance of food is granted ; whereas the whole 
time and labor of the slave of the com- 
moner are at the exclusive disposal of the 
master, who supports the wife also. Mar- 
riage between free persons and the slaves 
of his majesty are thus by no means unfre- 
quent ; the bondsman, after the perform- 
ance of his allotted task, enjoying liberty 
to return daily to his family, and to appro- 
priate the residue of his time. 

A child born in slavery receives subsist- 
ence, in a limited proportion, from the mo- 
ment of coming into the world, the liabili- 
ties of bondage being incurred from the 
cradle. As a check on those who reside 
with a free mother in various parts of the 
kingdom, an annual census of the whole is 
taken by the royal scribes, when those who 
are ascertained to have acquired a compe- 
tent age are summoned to their task at one 
of the royal establishments ; and it too 
often happens that, when incapacitated by 
infirmity from further labor, the daily dole 
is discontinued through the parsimony of 
the servants of the crown. 



316 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



Caravans, consisting of from one hun- 
dred to three thousand individuals of all 
ages, pass through Shoa during the greater 
portion of the year. Three- fourths are 
young boys and girls, many of them quite 
children, whose tender age precludes a 
sense of their condition. Even adults are 
unfettered, and the majority are in good 
spirits, all being well fed and taken care 
'of, although many of both sexes arrive in a 
state of perfect nudity. Surrounded by the 
rovers on horseback, they are driven pro- 
miscuously along the roads, males and fe- 
males being separated at the termination 
of each march, and made to sit in detached 
groups comprising from ten to fifteen souls, 
who are deterred from wandering by the 
exhibition of the whip ; but this is rarely 
used except for the chastisement of the 
unruly, who may seek to effect their escape. 

In the eyes of every African, the value 
of a slave increases in the ratio of his dis- 
tance from the land of his nativity, the 
chance of his absconding being reduced in 
the same proportion. The usual prices in the 
Shoan market are from ten to twenty Ger- 
man crowns ; but females possessing supe- 
rior personal attractions often fetch from fifty 
to eighty, which outlay is returned three- 
fold in Arabia. The profits accruing from 
the trade are thus obviously large ; and 
notwithstanding the murders which are 
annually perpetrated by freebooters on the 
road to the sea-coast, the mortality can 
scarcely be said to exceed that under the 
ordinary circumstances of African life. 

The hebdomadal sale of human flesh 
which takes place in the public market at 
Abdel Russool, the disgusting parade of 
victims, and the subsequent sensuality of 
the savage purchasers, are sufficient to 
draw forth every sentiment of indignation, 
and to elicit every feeling of sympathy ; 
but it must be confessed that slavery in 
this portion of Africa, dreadful though it 
be, and accompanied by its share of suffer- 
ing, bears little analogy to, and is absolutely 
light, when contrasted with the appaling 
horrors, the destitution, and the misery in- 
volved by the European trade. Excepting 
as regards the powers pertaining to it, it is 
in fact little more than servitude. The 
newly captured become soon reconciled to 
their lot and condition, their previous do- 
mestic life having too often been one of 
actual bondage, although not nominally so. 
And even in the sultry plains of the Adaiel, 
few individuals of the long droves that are 
daily to be seen on their weary inarch to 
the coast with Danakil caravans, afford in- 
dications of being tortured with regret at 
the loss of their freedom, and of their na- 



tive land, or with recollections of the ver- 
dant plains whence avarice and cruelty 
have torn them. 

From the governor to the humblest pea- 
sant, every house in Shoa possesses slaves 
of both sexes, in proportion to the wealth 
of the proprietor ; and in so far as an opin- 
ion may be formed upon appearances, their 
condition, with occasional, but rare excep- 
tions, is one of comfort and ease. Mild in 
its character, their bondage is tinctured 
with none of the horrors of West Indian 
slavery. The servitude imposed is calcu- 
lated to create neither suffering nor ex- 
haustion. There is no merciless task- 
master to goad the victim to excessive 
exertion — no " white man's scorn " to be 
endured ; and, although severed from home, 
from country, and from all the scenes with 
which his childhood had been familiar, his 
lot is not unfrequently improved. Natu- 
ralized in the house of his master, he is 
invariably treated with lenity — usually with 
indulgence — often with favor ; and under 
a despotic sovereign, to whom servile in- 
struments are uniformly the most agreea- 
ble, the caprices of fortune may prefer the 
exile to posts of confidence and emolument, 
and may even exalt him to the highest 
dignities. 



CHAPTER CXXVI. 

INTRODUCTION OF SLAVERY INTO ABYSSINIA, 

Although the history of Northeastern 
Africa, like that of the country generally, 
is very imperfectly recorded, it is certain 
that Carthage, Egypt, and Ethiopia, early 
acquired and long maintained a prevailing 
influence therein. The Carthaginians pos- 
sessed themselves of nearly the whole of 
the northern portion, while the Egyptians 
and Ethiopians occupied the east to the 
very centre. The extension of these great 
empires tended considerably to limit the 
trade in human flesh, inasmuch as slavery 
with fellow-subjects was prohibited in each, 
while intercourse with independent states 
was diminished by perpetual quarrels ; and 
the world being in feud in every quarter 
needed not to be supplied with slaves from 
Africa. 

But this aspect of affairs was materially 
altered so soon as these three empires, 
losing their power, became subdivided into 
sundry governments, the diffusion of Chris- 
tianity and civilization in Europe and Asia 
meanwhile restricting the slave trade to 
the African continent. Although not gene- 
rally representing the character which their 



MOHAMMADAN ROVERS— ORIGIN OF SLAVERY. 



317 



name implies, the Christians of the Occi- 
dent and Orient had at least given up the 
system among themselves ; and by the 
former especially it was very little practiced 
until after the discovery of America, when 
it was revived and encouraged by the Span- 
iards ; and the negro being considered bet- 
ter fitted for hard labor than the aborigines 
of the New World, Africa began to be re- 
garded as the slave-mart for the whole 
universe. About the same period Ethiopia 
was first subjected to numberless hordes of 
Pagan Galla, migrating from the south ; 
and not long afterward Graan, the fanatic 
Mohammadan enemy, commenced the over- 
throw of this then powerful empire, which 
was speedily dismembered, and has never 
since been able to regain its former limits. 

The heathen invaders soon relaxing in 
their united efforts against the Christians, 
those Galla tribes which had settled on 
Abyssinian ground began to contest among 
themselves for the supremacy over the 
newly-acquired territory, and to enslave 
each other. The Mohammadans, who had 
meanwhile gained a footing in the disturbed 
country, being slave-dealers by profession 
as well as from religious motives, greedily 
availed themselves of the opportunity af- 
forded by these intestine divisions to trade 
in pagan prisoners, females especially, who 
possess the recommendation of superior 
personal attractions to the generality of 
"Afric's dark daughters " — and thus the 
traffic spread rapidly around Abyssinia. 

Partly from fear of their enemies, and 
partly from being less interested in slavery 
than the Moslems, the Christians no longer 
ventured beyond the frontiers of the coun- 
try they retained — the avenues to the sea- 
coast, and those through the Galla tribes 
in the interior, which, prior to the barba- 
rian inroad, must have been frequented, 
falling, together with the whole commerce, 
into the hands of the bigoted disciples of 
the Prophet. Limited in the first instance 
to certain portions of Ethiopia, they devo- 
ted their lives to the purchase and sale of 
human flesh, wherewith they connected 
the propagation of their faith. During 
their devastating progress through the 
countries beyond Caffa and Susa, the Galla 
had in all probability dismembered many 
powerful empires, and sown the seeds of 
discord and dissension, of which the fruits 
are now witnessed in the outpouring of in- 
numerable victims of manifold tribes and 
nations to Caffa, and doubtless also beyond 
that kingdom, to the coast of Zanzibar. 

The origin of the slave-trade in these 
quarters may thus be referred to the com- 
mencement of hostilities therein, and to the 



presence of Mohammadans, by whom it 
was fostered and encouraged. Grain and 
cattle excepted, the wild and greedy Galla 
possessed not a single commodity to barter 
for the alluring foreign wares exhibited by 
the rover, but his captured foe presented 
the ready means of supplying whatsoever 
he coveted. The empire of Abyssinia be- 
ing dismembered and enfeebled by the tide 
of invasion, its rulers, far from seeking to 
crush the hostilities that prevailed among 
the Gentiles, naturally rejoiced to see in- 
testine feuds raging throughout a nation, 
which, if united, could have swept away 
the small remnant of Ethiopic power, once 
so predominant. 

The Christians, moreover, had become 
so corrupted by evil example, that, in lieu 
of opposing a barrier to the advance of 
slavery, they shortly adopted and encour- 
aged the debasing traffic. Those provinces 
especially which were separated from the 
principal seat of government, not only af- 
forded a market to numbers of pagan pris- 
oners, but extended to the dealers in slaves 
a safe road by which thousands were an- 
nually exported to Arabia ; and Shoa, Efat, 
Gurague, and Cambat, the southernmost 
provinces of Abyssinia, having more espe- 
cially suffered at the hands of the Galla 
hordes, it is not difficult to understand how, 
in a confused political and ecclesiastical 
state of things, the detestation entertained 
toward their heathen persecutors prompted 
the population to purchase as drudges those 
of their enemies who had been captured in 
war. 

When the rulers of Shoa began to ex- 
tend their dominions, and to subdue the 
nearer tribes of Galla invaders, Christian- 
ity was propagated by the sword ; but the 
Mohammadan traders, far from being 
checked or arrested in their dealings, were 
only induced to extend their traffic to more 
remote regions of Northeastern Africa. 
Instead of purchasing slaves at Ankober, 
as had been their wont when that capital 
was still in Pagan hands, they were com- 
pelled, after its recapture, to seek their 
victims in Gurague, and beyond. Those 
provinces of Abyssinia wherein the seat 
of government was established after the 
demolition of Ethiopic empire, preserved 
more or less of their ancient customs, 
which sanctioned the enslavement of a 
captured enemy for the term of seven 
years, according to the Mosaic law, which 
is followed in so many other respects ; and 
the practice is to the present day retained 
in Gojam and Tigre — the inhabitants of 
these states neither buying nor selling 
slaves, but consigning to a few years of 



318 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



bondage all prisoners from the wild tribes 
of Shankela taken in war. 

The enslavement of this heathen people, 
who are often barbarously hunted down 
for sport, is defended upon the grounds 
that so fierce, swarthy, and bestial a race, 
existing in the rudest possible form of sav- 
age state, must be the accursed of man- 
kind, and entirely beyond the pale of nat- 
ural rights — a view of the case supported 
by the fanatic priesthood, who, in the spirit 
of bigotry, deem it a highly meritorious 
work to force upon a Gentile the light of 
the Gospel. In Shoa this argument is 
employed in favor of slavery. But the 
Christians of Western and Northern Abys- 
sinia condemn the practice of their brethren 
in the south and east ; and Tekla Georgis, 
the late emperor of Gondar, having cate- 
chised a number of Shoan ecclesiastics as 
to the reason of their countenancing slave- 
ry and slave polygamy, reprobated both 
proceedings in the severest terms. 

The separation of Shoa from the impe- 
rial sway of Northern Abyssinia, and the 
fact that it, as well as other Christian ter- 
ritories, was especially involved in the 
misfortunes entailed upon the country by 
the Galla invasion, were, as may be sup- 
posed, far from improving the morals of 
the people. The first rulers of Shoa, as- 
piring to ascendancy over all the minor 
independent principalities, were fain to 
tolerate a variety of abuses which had 
crept into the Abyssinian church during 
the reign of anarchy, barbarism, and con- 
fusion ; and, however well they might have 
felt inwardly disposed to work the reforma- 
tion of their subjects, they durst not, in the 
infancy of their power, attempt the sup- 
pression of a custom to which the entire 
population of the subjugated districts were 
so strongly wedded. Moreover, they had 
begun to follow the example of the Gondar 
dynasty in respect to the hospitable enter- 
tainment by the crown of all foreigners 
and strangers ; to which end a large estab- 
lishment being indispensable for the prep- 
aration of the daily maintenance styled 
"dirgo," they considered that the manual 
labor could better be performed by slaves 
selected from among the thousands that 
annually passed through their dominions, 
than by their own free subjects. 

The meanness and parsimony which 
form part and parcel of the national char- 
acter also doubtless favored this introduc- 
tion of slavery as a domestic institution. 
The sovereign was above all things de- 
sirous of acquiring a reputation for munifi- 
cence without actually impairing the state 
revenues, and he felt anxious at the same 



time to pave the road to popularity by re- 
lieving his subjects of that drudgery which 
would have led to an aversion toward visi- 
tors, highly inimical to the royal interests. 
All despotic rulers are prone to greater 
confidence in the slave than in the free- 
man ; and Abyssinian sophistry probably 
led the first kings of Shoa to argue that, 
the end justifying the means, hospitality 
extended toward strangers and pilgrims in 
the land would vindicate in the sight of 
Heaven, the infliction of bitter bondage 
upon those who at that period, even more 
than at the present day, were execrated 
and abhorred. 

Unceasing wars, wherein the feudal sub- 
jects of Shoa were personally engaged, 
affording brief intervals of leisure for agri- 
cultural pursuits, they were not slow in 
imitating the example set by their mon- 
arch, as well in household slavery as in 
slave polygamy. Both king and people 
believing that the wretch exported from 
Africa. was destined to Christian countries 
beyond the seas, where the truth of the 
Gospel would be imparted to him ; and 
hence arose the existing law, which per- 
mits the slaveholder in Shoa, although 
prohibited under the severest penalties from 
dealing in the flesh and blood of his fellow- 
creatures as a trade, to resell Mohamma- 
dan or Pagan purchases, who obstinately 
refuse to embrace the religion of Ethiopia. 

Slavery among the Galla tribes is cra- 
dled and nursed in the unceasing intestine 
feuds of that savage and disorganized peo- 
ple ; but the circumstances attending its 
existence in Gurague, although resting 
upon the same basis, are somewhat differ- 
ent in character. Since the period that 
the heathen inroads first cut off that Chris- 
tian country from the ancient Ethiopic 
empire, and foes begirt it on all sides like 
wild beasts prowling for their prey, it has 
been thrown into a position of peculiar 
misfortune, and would gladly seek repose 
by placing itself again under the protection 
of its legitimate sovereign. For this boon 
it has often applied to Sahela Selassie ; 
but from motives of prudence he has not 
chosen to extend either his visits or his 
authority beyond the frontier village of 
Aimellele. 

Occupying about one and a half degree 
of longitude, by one degree of latitude, 
and swarming with population, Gurague 
is at this moment in a state similar to Pal- 
estine of old, whereof the Scripture saith, 
" There was no king in Israel, and every 
man did that which was right in his own 
eyes." In the absence of a supreme head, 
each village or community elects its own 



GURAGi XIPALITIES. 



319 



temporary governor, who is perpetually 
removed by the cabals and caprice of the 
people. While the Galla make constant 
predatory inroads from without, anarchy 
reigns within. A multitude of private 
feuds and animosities toss the turbulent 
population to and fro like the waves of the 
troubled ocean ; and there being no rock 
of refuge — neither king nor laws — it is not 
surprising that every man should stretch 
forth his hand to kidnap his neighbor. 
Among the southern portions especially, 
in the domicile or in the open street, the 
stronger seizes upon the weaker as his 
bondsman, and disposes of his body to the 
greedy Mohammadan dealers, who hover 
round like a host of hungry vultures, and 
are ever at hand with their glittering gew- 
gaws — the innate love of which induces 
brother to sell sister, and the parent to car- 
ry her own offspring to the market. 

Annually pouring out many thousands 
of her sons and daughters in every direc- 
tion, this wretched Christian province, a 
prey to lawless violence, and the theatre 
of every monstrous and detestable crime, 
cries aloud for the extension of philan- 
thropic measures toward the abolition of 
the traffic which forms the source of her 
overwhelming miseries. Gurague is the 
very hotbed of slavery in Eastern Africa, 
north of the equator ; and it claims the 
earnest attention of all who are interested 
in the suppression of the evil. None of the 
surrounding countries would seem to be 
unvitiated by the baneful influence of the 
slave trade ; and all are sunk in the lowest 
and most grovelling superstition. Susa, 
Korchassie, Wollamo, Cambat, with every 
other isolated principality once appended 
to the ancient empire, although still pro- 
fessing the mild tenets of the Christian 
faith, take an active part in the capture 
and sale of their fellow-savages. Villages 
are fired, and the inhabitants seized as they 
fly in terror from the flames that envelope 
their wigwams ; and the aged and the 
infirm are butchered, because unfit for 
drudgery. The newborn babe is torn from 
its parent in the hour of its birth to be ruth- 
lessly immolated at the shrine of the idol ; 
and the shores of Lake Urao are white 
with the bleaching bones of hapless female 
victims, who have been selected from the 
drove for their superior charms, and have 
been launched into its depths by the su- 
perstitious Moslem slave-driver, to propi- 
tiate the genius of the water ! 



CHAPTER CXXVII. 

OPERATION OF LEGITIMATE COMMERCE UPON 
THE SLAVE TRADE IN NORTHEASTERN 
AFRICA. 

A review of the nature and actual ex- 
tent of slavery in Christian Abyssinia, 
where the exile is sold and purchased — of 
the circumstances attending his loss of 
liberty in the countries whence he is stolen 
and exported — and of the various causes 
and passions that conspire to favor the 
continuance of the internal commerce in 
human flesh — leads naturally to the con- 
sideration of a subject which has long 
formed the theme of splendid parliamentary 
orations by the most eloquent British sena- 
tors, and of masterly discussions by highly 
gifted private philanthropists, who have de- 
voted their energies to the restitution of the 
lost rights of man, and to the organization 
of means by which, under God's blessing, 
to dry up the baneful springs that for so 
many ages have filled to overflowing the 
capacious fountain of African misery. 

Bondage has been shown to arise in wars 
and intestine feuds, and to be nurtured by 
evil passions, by avarice, and by worldly in- 
terest. The excitement and delight of the 
foray, the surprise, and the captivity which 
follows, are by all tribes in Africa regarded 
as the highest themes of their glory. The 
gratification of power, sensuality, and re- 
venge, are difficult of eradication ; and the 
easy though infamous acquisition of pro- 
perty does not readily yield to the usual 
correctives of worldly disorders. The in- 
terests, also, by which the diabolical and 
debasing traffic is supported are not those 
of a few individuals. It is interwoven with 
the government, the commerce, the wants, 
and the revenues of many nations. The 
tribe that mourns to-day the loss of its 
young men and maidens, is ready on the 
morrow with heart and hand to carry on 
among others the work of captivity ; and 
the victor of one hour may be vanquished 
the next. The kings and rulers of the land 
profit by the transit of slave caravans 
through their dominions — the countries all 
derive gain from the inhuman barter — the 
intermediate clans have each their share 
in the traffic — the merchant on the sea- 
coast drives a most profitable trade — and 
the lazy Arab to whom the wretched be- 
ings are finally consigned, has existed too 
long in a state of utter indolence and in- 
activity, willingly to assist himself in any 
of the ordinary laborious avocations of life. 

Commerce being a school for the im- 
provement of nations, it may safely be an- 



320 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



ticipated that the important treaty conclud- 
ed by Great Britain with the king of Shoa 
will tend to the temporal and intellectual 
advancement of the now ignorant and de- 
graded natives of the northeastern interior, 
in proportion to the extent of their inter- 
course with enlightened Europeans. The 
supply of foreign manufactures, which the 
African deems indispensable, has always 
been, and still is, exclusively in the hands 
of Mohammadan merchants, declared slave 
dealers, who will receive human beings 
only in exchange for their wares. A strong 
inducement to the discontinuance of the 
traffic will therefore be removed by the 
visits of men whose tacit example, without 
any declamation against slavery, cannot 
fail to have a beneficial influence upon un- 
tutored races, who have hitherto been 
taught and compelled to believe that their 
wants cannot be supplied unless through 
the medium of the barter of their fellow- 
creatures. The restoration of tranquillity 
to the provinces, which can alone be effect- 
ed by a legal trade, must have the import- 
ant result of putting an end to the expor- 
tation of slaves, which is here liable not 
only to the same objections as on the west- 
ern coast, but to the still greater evil, that 
the victims carried away are chiefly Chris- 
tians, who inevitably lose in Arabia not 
only their liberty but also their religion. 

The Mohammadan dealer being solely 
dependent for his supply of European 
manufactures on the brokers located in 
various parts of the coast — keen, artful, and 
rapacious Banians — he must speedily be 
driven from the market by the British mer- 
chant, who will at the same time create 
numberless new wants, to satisfy which the 
native will be goaded to industrious habits. 
The majority both of people and rulers will 
soon be enabled to comprehend the advan- 
tage to accrue from the cessation of a trade 
which swallows up the flower of the popu- 
lation ; and will open their eyes to the fact, 
that temporal wealth, far from being dimin- 
ished, as they now believe, by the opera- 
tion of such a measure, would in reality be 
much augmented. They will at the same 
time perceive that the regular supply of 
European trinkets, so inestimable in their 
eyes, depends in a principal measure upon 
the tranquillity of the country ; and since 
slaves are no longer in demand as an arti- 
cle of barter, they will generally be better 
disposed to permit and to bring about that 
state of peace and quietude which is so 
essential to mercantile pursuits. 

An entrance to countries now only ac- 
cessible by means of commerce, and at the 
pace of a merchant caravan, will thus be 



afforded, and a friendly understanding be 
established, which may be expected to pave 
the way to the introduction of more effect- 
ual measures toward decreasing the supply 
of slaves in the quarters whence they are 
derived. European commerce conveying 
the strongest tacit argument against the 
traffic in human flesh, must favor the speedy 
formation of advantageous treaties with 
many native chiefs for its entire suppres- 
sion within their dominions — treaties which 
could not be proposed without prejudice so 
long as the slave trade, deeply rooted, con- 
tinues so intimately connected with the 
habits, pursuits, and interests of the whole 
population. Time is of course requisite to 
bring about the consummation desired to 
mercantile enterprise. The avarice of 
some of the more ignorant and degraded 
potentates may long induce them to retain 
the emoluments arising from the sale of 
their subjects, notwithstanding the more 
than equivalent revenues extended by le- 
gitimate transit duties ; but as establish- 
ments which are now fostered, and fattened 
on the hotbed of slavery become gradually 
extinguished, the nefarious traffic cannot 
fail, in equal proportion, to disappear before 
the golden wand of commerce. 

In all those interior countries to the 
south, whence victims are principally 
drawn through the medium of aggression 
and invasion, the mass of the miserable 
population would hail the advent of Euro- 
pean intervention, toward the preservation 
of their liberty. The Christian would find 
repose beneath the treaty concluded by the 
white man, and the wild Galla would cease 
to have an interest in the continual hostili- 
ties, the forays, and the slave hunts, which 
now supply the market with human beings. 

It might reasonably be conjectured that 
if it be practicable to conclude an anti- 
slavery treaty with any African ruler, it 
must be especially so with one professing 
the tenets of the Christian faith, and who 
may thus be supposed capable of receiving 
moral arguments — with a despot whose 
every will is law, who is guided chiefly by 
avarice and by self-interost, and who is 
fully aware that the importation of slaves 
has a prejudicial tendency, by the introduc- 
tion among his subjects of heathenish cere- 
monies. Sahela Selassie is already fully 
sensible of the possibility of dispensing with 
slavery as a domestic institution, by the 
adoption of European machinery, and of the 
practice of other Abyssinian states, where 
money is dispensed to the visitor in lieu 
of dirgo, or daily maintenance. His super- 
stitions may be worked upon with the best 
effect by the fear of entailing the curses 



MOHAMMADAN MONOPOLIES. 



321 



and imprecations of many thousand en- 
slaved fellow-creatures who annually pass 
through his dominions ; and his eyes have 
been opened to the fact that the whole of 
these wretched beings become converts to 
Mohammadanism — a faith upon which eve- 
ry Abyssinian looks down with abhorrence. 
The same voice that at European interces- 
sion commanded the release of many hun- 
dred Galla prisoners of war could at once 
order the abrogation of domestic slavery 
within the kingdom ; but its abolition be- 
fore the establishment of British commerce 
shall have rendered his majesty independ- 
ent of the slave-dealing Ada'iel would be 
delusive. It would do harm instead of 
doing good ; and while it led to little actual 
reduction of human misery, it would arouse 
the worst passions of the entire surround- 
ing Mohammadan population. For Shoa 
is at this moment solely dependent upon 
the Danakil trader, not only for every de- 
scription of foreign merchandise, but also 
for salt, which, besides being one of the 
necessaries of life, here constitutes the 
chief circulating medium of the realm ; 
and the first inducement to the importation 
of this indispensable commodity, is found 
in the great profits derived from the traffic 
in slaves purchased at Abdel Russool. 

In Shoa, too, every Christian subject is 
more or less interested in the continuance 
of slave importations ; and notwithstanding 
that the trammels of the despot, who re- 
ceives unbounded homage, render each in 
fact a bondsman, he is in no danger of be- 
ing kidnapped and driven into slavery. No 
one would dare to disobey the royal fiat ; 
but, involving as it must great personal 
hardship to all, it could not fail to be at- 
tended with universal loss of popularity to 
the monarch. No such difficulty would 
attend the formation of a treaty of suppres- 
sion in the northern provinces of Christian 
Abyssinia, where slavery in the true ac- 
ceptation of the term has no existence, ex- 
cepting in so far as it is carried on by the 
Moslem traders, of whom both ruler and 
people are comparatively independent. 
Thus in Gondar and Tigre, where domes- 
tic slavery is neither practiced nor advo- 
cated by prince or subject, the external 
traffic might readily be crushed, and with 
the greatest advantage, through the friend- 
ly sentiments entertained by the present 
patriarch. 

The spiritual influence exerted by Abba 
Salama over the mind of all classes, high 
as well as low — the spell by which he holds 
his supreme power — is acknowledged by 
every province, however remote, which 
constitutes a remnant of the ancient Ethi- 



opic empire. Access to hitherto sealed 
portions of the interior, by which the ob- 
jects of humanity would not less be for- 
warded than those of commerce, science, 
and geography, can thus readily be obtain- 
ed through his assistance. They offer gold 
in return for the blessings of Christianity 
and civilization, and are believed to be ac- 
cessible also from the coast of the Indian 
ocean. But it ought not to be forgotten in 
England that, independently of other con- 
siderations, the surest hope of working any 
favorable change in the present degraded 
state of the Abyssinian church, or of sub- 
stantially promoting the views of philan- 
thropy in Ethiopia Proper, must be consid- 
ered to rest solely upon the good feeling, 
the potent influence, and the professed as- 
sistance of his holiness the aboon, and that 
one better disposed is not likely ever to fill 
the episcopal throne at Gondar. 



CHAPTER CXXVIII. 

COMMERCE WITH THE EASTERN COAST OF 
AFRICA. 

The highlands included betwixt Abys- 
sinia and the equator are unquestionably 
among the most interesting in Africa, 
whether viewed with reference to their cli- 
mate, their soil, their productions, or their 
population. When the Ethiopic empire 
extended its sway over the greater part of 
the eastern horn, they doubtless supplied 
myrrh and frankincense to the civilized 
portions of the globe, together with the 
" sweet cane," mentioned by the prophets 
Isaiah and Jeremiah, as being brought 
" from a far country." The slave caravan 
still affords a limited outlet to their rich 
produce ; but the people, ignorant and nat- 
urally indolent, are without protection, and 
they possess no stimulus to industry. Vice 
alone flourishes among them, and their fair 
country forms the very hot-bed of the slave 
trade. Hence arise wars and predatory 
violence, and hence the injustice and op- 
pression which sweep the fields with des- 
olation — bind in fetters the sturdy chil- 
dren of the soil, and cover the population 
with every sorrow, " with lamentation, and 
mourning, and wo." 

It has already been remarked that in 
early times, as early probably as the days 
of Moses, the authority of Egypt extended 
deep into the recesses of Africa, and there 
is reason to believe, at later dates, far into 
those countries to the southward of Abys- 
sinia which are accessible from the shores 



322 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



of the Indian Ocean. The eastern coast, 
from beyond the Straits of Bab el Mandeb, 
in all probability as far south as Sofala, the 
Ophir of Solomon, was well known to the 
enterprising merchants of Tyre, and to the 
sovereigns of Judea, from the days of the 
wise son of David downward. In still la- 
ter periods, the conquering Arabs, when 
they had become followers of the false 
prophet, extended their sway over all this 
coast as far as the twenty-fifth degree of 
south latitude. The remains of their pow- 
er, of their comparative civilization, and 
of their religion, are found throughout to 
the present day ; and notwithstanding that 
their rule had greatly declined when the 
Portuguese discovered these parts four hun- 
dred years ago, it was still strong and ex- 
tensive, and constant commercial inter- 
course was maintained with India. 

No portion of the African continent has, 
however, excited less modern interest than 
the eastern coast; and this singular fact 
must, in a principal measure, be attributed 
to the extreme jealousy with which the 
Portuguese have guarded its approach, and 
withheld the limited information gained 
since the days of Vasco de Gama. " The 
treasure and the blood of the metropolis 
have been wasted in wars with the native 
powers, and the relations of commerce on 
every occasion postponed for those of con- 
quest and dominion."* The illiberal spirit 
of the government, the monstrous cruelty 
of the traffic, and the nature of the system 
pursued, both civil and ecclesiastic, have 
had the natural effect of degrading those 
maritime tribes placed in immediate juxta- 
position with the white settlers, and of 
effectually repelling the more spirited 
and industrious inhabitants of the high- 
lands, whose prudence and independence 
have baffled attempted inroads. Many a 
fair seat of peace and plenty, vitiated by 
the operation of the slave trade, has been 
converted into a theatre of war and blood- 
shed ; and the once brilliant establishments 
reared by the lords of India and Guinea, 
now scarcely capable of resisting the at- 
tacks of undisciplined barbarians, here, as 
elsewhere, exhibit but the wreck and shad- 
ow of their former vice-regal splendor. 

Although free to all nations, the eastern 
coast, from Sofala to Cape Guardufoi, has in 
later years been little frequented by any, 
save the enterprising American, whose 
star-spangled banner is to be seen waving 
to the breeze in parts where others would 
not deign to traffic ; and who, being thus 
the pioneer to new countries, reaps the 

* Lord Brougham's Colonial Policy. 



lucrative harvest which they are almost 
sure to afford. English ships from India 
have occasionally visited the southern ports 
for cargoes of ivory and ambergris, but the 
trade being yet in its infancy, admitted of 
little routine ; and in the absence of any 
rival, the imam of Muscat is, with his 
daily-increasing territories, fast establish- 
ing a lucrative monopoly, from Mombas 
and Zanzibar. 

In most of the interior countries lying 
opposite to this coast to the south of Shoa, 
the people unite with an inordinate passion 
for trinkets and finery a degree of wealth 
which must favor an extensive sale of Eu- 
ropean commodities. In Enarea, CafFa, 
Gourague, Koocha, and Susa, especially, 
glass-ware, false jewelry, beads, cutlery, 
blue calico, long cloth, chintz, and other 
linen manufactures, are in universal de- 
mand. That their wants are neither few 
nor trifling may be satisfactorily ascertain- 
ed from the fact that the sum of 96,0001., 
the produce of the slave trade from the 
ports of Berbera, Zeyla, Tajtira, and Mas- 
sowah, is only one item of the total amount 
annually invested in various foreign goods 
and manufactures, which are readily dis- 
posed of even at the present price of the 
monopolist ; who being generally a trader 
of very limited capital, may be concluded 
to drive an extremely hard bargain for his 
luxurious wares. 

It would be idle to speculate upon the 
hidden treasures that may be in store for 
that adventurous spirit who shall success- 
fully perform the quest into these coy re- 
gions — for time and enterprise can alone 
reveal them. But it is notorious that gold 
and gold dust, ivory, civet, and ostrich 
feathers, peltries, spices,* wax, and pre- 
cious gums, form a part of the lading of 
every slave caravan, notwithstanding that 
a tedious transport over a long and circuit- 
ous route presents many serious difficulties ; 
and that the overreaching disposition of the 
Indian Banian and of the Arab merchant, 
who principally divide the spoils on the 
coast of Abyssinia, offer a very far from 
adequate reimbursement for the toil and la- 
bor of transportation. 

No quarter of the globe abounds to a 
greater extent in vegetable and mineral 
productions than tropical Africa ; and in 
the populous, fertile, and salubrious por- 
tions lying immediately north of the equa- 
tor, the very highest capabilities are pre- 
sented for the employment of capital, and 



* Ginger is exported in great quantities from Gurt • 
gu6 ; and among other indigenous spices, the kur dritna, 
which combines the flavor of the carraway with that or 
the cardamom. 



EXPORTS— TEA PLANT— MERCANTILE INTERESTS. 



323 



the development of British industry. Coal 
has already been found, though at too great 
a distance inland to render it of any ser- 
vice without water communication; but 
the fossil doubtless exists in positions the 
most favorable for the supply of the steam- 
ers employed in the navigation of the Red 
Sea. Cotton of a quality unrivalled in the 
whole world, is everywhere a weed, and 
might be cultivated to any requisite extent. 
The coffee which is sold in Arabia as the 
produce of Mocha is chiefly of wild Afri- 
can growth ; and that species of the tea- 
plant* which is used by the lower orders of 
the Chinese flourishes so widely and with so 
little care, that the climate to which it is indi- 
genous would doubtless be found well adapt- 
ed for the higher-flavored and more delicate 
species so prized for foreign exportation. 

Every trade must be important to Great 
Britain which will absorb manufactured 
goods and furnish raw material in return. 
Mercantile interests on the eastern coast 
might therefore quickly be advanced by 
teaching the natives to have artificial 
wants, and then instructing them in what 
manner those wants may be supplied 
through the cultivated productions of the 
soil. The present is the moment at which 
to essay this ; and so promising a field for 
enterprise and speculation ought no longer 
to be neglected or overlooked. The po- 
sition of the more cultivated tribes inland, 
the love of finery displayed by all, the cli- 
mate, the productions, the capabilities, the 

* Oiaat is a shrub very extensively cultivated both in 
Shoa and in the countries adjacent. It is in general use 
among the inhabitants as a substitute for tea, which in 
all its properties and qualities, it closely resembles. The 
plant is said to have been brought originally from the 
-western mountains, of which the elevation being from 
five to eight thousand feet, agrees with that of the Chi- 
nese tea districts, while the average temperature does 
not exceed 60° Fahrenheit. In a light gravelly soil it 
attains the height of .twelve feet ; and the leaves being 
plucked during the dry season, and well dried in the 
sun, fetch from one penny to two pence the pound. 
They are either chewed, or boiled in milk, or infused in 
water ; and by the addition of honey a pleasant beve- 
rage is produced, which, being bitter and stimulative, 
dispels sleep if used to excess. 

The virtues of the chaat are equally to be appreciated 
with those of the yerba mate, recently introduced into 
England from Brazil and Paraguay. It is already 
known under the appellation of " Celastrus edulis," and 
belongs to Pentrandia Monogynia Linne, and to the 
natural family of Celastrinea), or to that sub-family of 
the Rhamneaj, which have in the flower the stamens 
alternating with the petals. The family of Rhamneae, 
namely, the genus Rhamnus itself, supplies to the poor- 
er classes in China a substitute for tea, and is known 
under the name of Rhamnus Theezaus L. 

The chaat may thus be characterized :— 

Frutex inermis ; foliis oppositis, petiolatis, oblongis, 
serratodentatis, glabris. Calyx minimus, persistens. Pe- 
tala 5. Stamina 5-petalis alternantia. Fructus super- 
us, oblonge baccatus, 5-locularis, polyspermus, vel abor 
tive monospermus. Inflorescentia axillaris, cymosa : 
cymi dichotome stipulati. 

The plant supplying the Paraguay tea is a species of 
Ilex, and belongs to the same family of Celastrineae, 
gub-order Aquifoliaceae. 



presumed navigable access to the interior, 
the contiguity to British Indian posses- 
sions, and the proximity of some of the 
t finest harbors in the world, all combine 
inducements to the merchant, who, at the 
hands even of the rudest nation, may be 
certain of a cordial welcome. 

If, at a very moderate calculation, a sum 
falling little short of £l00,000*terling can 
be annually invested in European goods 
to supply the wants of some few of the 
poorer tribes adjacent to Abyssinia ; and 
if the tedious and perilous land journey 
can be thus braved with profit to the native 
peddler, what important results might not 
be anticipated from well-directed efforts, 
by such navigable access as would appear 
to be promised by the river Gochob ? The 
throwing into the very heart of the coun- 
try now pillaged for slaves a cheap and 
ample supply of the goods most coveted, 
must have the effect of excluding the Mo- 
hammadan rover who has so long preyed 
upon the sinews of the people ; and this 
foundation judiciously built upon by the 
encouragement of cultivation in cotton and 
other indigenous produce, could not fail to 
rear upon the timid barter of a rude peo- 
ple the superstructure of a vast commerce. 

At a period when the attention of the 
majority of the civilized world, and of eve- 
ry well-wisher to the more sequestered 
members of the great family of mankind 
is so energetically directed toward the re- 
moval of the impenetrable veil that hangs 
before the interior, and fosters in its dark 
folds the most flagrant existing sin against 
nature and humanity, it could not fail to 
prove eminently honorable to those who, 
by a well-directed enterprise, should suc- 
cessfully overcome the obstacles hitherto 
presented by the distance, the climate, and 
the barbarity of the continent of Africa. 
But lasting fame, and the admiration of 
after ages, are not the only rewards ex- 
tended by the project. A rich mercantile 
harvest is assuredly in store for those who 
shall unlock the portals of the Eastern 
coast, and shall spread navigation upon 
waters that have heretofore been barren. 



CHAPTER CXXIX. 

NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER GOCHOB. 

To accomplish the freedom of Africa, 
were it practicable to do so, before her 
sons shall have become qualified to use 
their liberty for the advantage of society, 
would be to confer, not a boon, but a curse. 
To put down the foreign slave trade, with- 



324 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



out first devising honest occupation for a 
dense, idle, and mischievous population, 
would seal the death-warrant of every 
captive who, under the present system, is 
preserved as saleable booty. Hence it 
must be admitted, without a dissenting 
voice, that to inculcate industry and to ex- 
tend cultivation by voluntary labor, are in- 
dispensable* stepping-stones toward the 
ultimate amelioration of a people who do 
not at present possess the elements for ex- 
tended commerce. To create these would 
be to change the destinies of the negro, 
by including him within the league of the 
rights of man ; and habits of industry 
must rapidly raise him from savage igno- 
rance to that state of improvement which 
is essential to fit him for the privileges of 
a freeman. 

Although peopled by one hundred and 
fifty millions of souls, the present exports 
of Africa do not equal in value those of 
Cuba, with only twelve hundred thousand 
inhabitants. This limited commerce and 
the nature of the commercial system have 
long been, and still are, among the chief 
causes of her misery and thraldom. Few, 
if any, of the commodities bartered with 
other nations are the production of capital, 
labor, or industry ; and in the minds of the 
whole population, the ideas of prosperity 
and of a slave trade are therefore insepa- 
rable. But if all that is coveted could be 
placed within honest reach in exchange 
for the produce of the soil, the hands 
which should cultivate it will never after- 
ward be sold. 

" Legitimate commerce," writes Sir 
Fowell Buxton, " would put down the 
slave trade, by demonstrating the superior 
value of man as a laborer on the soil, to 
man as an object of merchandise. If con- 
ducted on wise and equitable principles, it 
might be the precursor, or rather the at- 
tendant, of civilization, peace, and Chris- 
tianity to the unenlightened, warlike, and 
heathen tribes, who now so fearfully prey 
upon each other to support the slave 
markets of the New World ; and a com- 
mercial system upon just, liberal, and com- 
prehensive principles, which guarded the 
native on the one hand, and secured pro- 
tection to the honest trader on the other, 
would therefore confer the richest bless- 
ings on a country so long desolated and 
degraded by its intercourse with the basest 
and most iniquitous portion of mankind." 

The average cost of a seasoned slave 
in Cuba is 1201. sterling ; but it has been 
seen that in Enarea and other parts of the 
interior he may be purchased for ten 
pieces of salt, equivalent to two shillings 



and a penny — for a pair of Birmingham 
scissors, or even for a few ells of blue 
calico. Hence it is only fair to infer that 
the hire of the freemen would be in the 
same ratio ; and if so, it must be sufficient- 
ly obvious that this cheap labor, applied to 
a soil not less productive than that of the 
most favored countries in the world, must 
enable Africa to raise tropical produce that 
will beat in every market to which it may 
be introduced. 

Able advocates of the cause of human- 
ity have upon these grounds clearly dem- 
onstrated that, in order to suppress com- 
pletely the foreign traffic in human flesh, 
it is only necessary to raise, in any more 
commanding and accessible point, which 
affords the readiest outlet, sugar, coffee, 
and cotton, and to throw these yearly 
into the market of the world, already ful- 
ly supplied by expensive slave labor. The 
creation of this cheap additional produce 
would so depress the price current in ev- 
ery other quarter, that the external slave 
trade would no longer be profitable, and it 
would therefore cease to exist. 

The baneful climate of Africa is the ob- 
stacle which has hitherto opposed the in- 
troduction of agriculture, by precluding 
the permanent residence of those born 
under a happier sky; and the chief object 
in seeking geographical information has 
been to discover some point whence the 
object may be accomplished with safety. 
That point is presented in the north-east- 
ern coast, where, from no great distance 
inland to an unknown extent, the sponta- 
neous gifts of nature are transcendently 
abundant — the people are prepared by 
misfortune to welcome civilized assistance 
— the soil is fertile and productive, and 
the climate, alpine and salubrious, is high- 
ly congenial to the European constitution. 

All these countries are believed to be 
accessible from the Juba, more commonly 
called the Govind, which is said to rise in 
Abyssinia, and to be navigable in boats 
for three months from its mouth. Its em- 
bouchure is in the territories of the friend- 
ly sheikhs of Brava, seven in number, the 
hereditary representatives of seven Arab 
brothers, who were first induced to settle 
on that part of the coast by the lucrative 
trade in grain, gold, ambergris, ivory, rhi- 
noceros' horns, and hippopotamus' teeth. 
They were formerly under the protection 
of Portugal ; but even the remembrance 
of that state of things has nearly passed 
away from the present generation. From 
Mombas, which is the most northern pos- 
session of Syyud Syyud, the imam of 
Muscat, the coast as far as the equator is 



ROADS IN THE TORRID ZONE. 



325 



in occupation of the Sohilis, a quiet and 
intelligent race of Moorish origin, and 
thence to Zeyla, which is now in the 
hands of Sheikh Ali Shermarki, the en- 
tire population is Somauli. The climate 
even so far south as M'ombas is notorious- 
ly good ; and the government affords a not 
less striking contrast to that of the west- 
ern coast, where the regions in corres- 
ponding latitudes are subject to bloody 
despotism, such as is submitted to by none 
but the direst savages. 

Measures at once profitable, simple, and 
effective, might therefore be adopted by 
the purchase or rent of land on this river, 
which is conjectured to be the Gochob, and 
would seem to promise easy access to the 
very hotbed of slavery. It has been well 
remarked by Mr. M'Queen, in his Geo- 
graphical' Survey, that " rivers are the 
roads in the torrid zone ;" and should the 
stream now under consideration fortunate- 
ly prove fitted for navigation, the introduc- 
tion through its means of the essential 
requisites to the happiness and the eman- 
cipation of the now oppressed continent, 
could not fail to confer the most inestima- 
ble advantages. 

The power of Abyssinia, once so ex- 
tended in this quarter, was known even to 
the Delta of the Niger. It was from the 
sovereigns of Benin that the Portuguese 
first heard of the glories of " Prester John ;" 
and as it is quite certain that a communi- 
cation did formerly exist, " by a journey of 
twenty moons," through the countries in 
the upper course of the Egyptian Nile, 
there seems no reason to doubt that it 
might not be readily renewed. Of the 
salubrity of the regions in which all these 
streams take their source, no question can 
be entertained. Ptolemy Euergetes, when 
sovereign of Egypt, penetrated to the most 
southern provinces of Ethiopia, which he 
conquered ; and he has described his pas- 
sage to have been effected, in some parts, 
over mountains deeply covered with snow. 

Those portions of the continent which 
are blessed with the finest climate, and 
with the largest share of natural gifts, and 
which teem with a population long ravaged 
by the inroads of the kidnapper, must be 
of all others the most capable of bringing 
to maturity, the seeds which can alone 
form the elements of future prosperity. 
And what nation is better qualified to con- 
fer such inestimable gifts, or more likely 
to profit by them, when judiciously bestow- 
ed, than Great Britain ? The most civil- 
ized nations are those which possess the 
deepest interest in the spread of civiliza- 
tion, and none more than herself are deeply 



interested in the speedy suppression of the 
traffic in human beings. 

No beneficial change can ever be an- 
ticipated so long as the population of the 
interior remain cut off" from all communi- 
cation with enlightened nations — so long 
as they are visited only by the mercenary 
rover, and are hemmed in by fanatic pow- 
ers, whose object, whose policy, and whose 
business it is to encourage so monstrous a 
practice. The Mohammadans are not only 
traders for the sake of slaves almost exclu- 
sively, but they are, as respects the greater 
portion of interior Africa, jealous, reckless, 
commercial rivals. It is not, therefore, 
surprising that they should exert all the 
influence which they possess from the 
combination of avarice, ignorance, preju- 
dice, and religion, to exclude foreign influ- 
ence ; and without roads, or any efficient 
means for the conveyance of heavy mer- 
chandise, it is not to be expected that the ig- 
norant despot of the interior will ever think 
of making his slaves or his subjects culti- 
vate produce of great bulk and laborious 
carriage, in order to procure in exchange 
articles which he requires, while with very 
trifling labor and still more trifling expense, 
they can be driven even to the most remote 
market, and there sold or exchanged. 

But few people are more desirous or 
more capable of trading than the natives 
of Africa ; and the facility with which fac- 
tories might be formed is sufficiently proved 
by the reception heretofore experienced in 
various parts of the continent. Abundance 
of land now unoccupied could be purchased 
or rented at a mere nominal rate, in posi- 
tions where the permanent residence of the 
white man would be hailed with universal 
joy, as contributing to the repose of tribes 
long harassed and persecuted. The serf 
would seek honest employment in the field, 
and the chiefs of slave-dealing states, glad- 
ly entering into any arrangement for the 
introduction of wealth and finery, would, 
after the establishment of agriculture, no 
longer find their interest in the flood of 
human victims, which is now annually 
poured through the highlands of Abyssinia. 

To descant, therefore, upon the import- 
ance of such a communication as the Go- 
chob may prove to the countries in which 
it is situated, or with which it promises an 
easy access, would be a work of superero- 
gation. Much has been written, and great 
praise most justly bestowed, upon the 
policy which has seen, in many a barba- 
rous location, the future marts of a bound- 
less and lucrative commerce — the centres 
whence its attendant blessings, knowledge, 
civilization, and wealth, would radiate 



326 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



among- savage hordes. Here are no des- 
erts, but nations already prepared for im- 
provement, and countries gifted by nature 
with a congenial climate and with a bound- 
less extent of virgin soil, where the indigo 
and the tea-plant flourish spontaneously, 
and where the growth of the sugar-cane 
and of every other tropical production may 
be caried to an unlimited extent — regions 
producing grain in vast superabundance, 
and rich in valuable staples — cotton, coffee, 
spices, ivory, gold-dust, peltries, and drugs 
— all, in fact, that is requisite to impart 
value and activity to exchange. But al- 
though thus surrounded by natural wealth, 
and placed within reach of affluence and 
happiness, the denizens of these favored 
regions imperatively require the fostering 
care of British protection, to become either 
prosperous, contented, or free. 



CHAPTER CXXX. 

THE SECOND WINTER IN SHOA. 

During another dreary season of rain, 
and of mist, and of heavy fog, which had 
now set in, the lance and the shield of the 
Christian had been suspended in the dark 
windowless hall, and the war-steed ranged 
loose over the swampy meadow. For three 
long months which were passed at Anko- 
ber in the preparation of these volumes, 
swollen and rapid torrents had brawled 
through the manifold rocky chasms that 
divide the village-crested pinnacles of Shoa 
— chiding as they rolled along the barriers 
that thus presumed to circumscribe their 
fury. Every hollow footpath had been con- 
verted into a muddy stream, and each deep 
valley, embosomed among the rugged 
mountains, had become a morass impassa- 
ble to the equestrian. Within the memory 
of the oldest inhabitant, the floods had never 
continued longer nor with greater violence. 
Morning after morning the heavy white 
clouds still clung above the saturated me- 
tropolis ; and the torrents, ever tumbling 
into the plain over the mountain-side, 
caused the swollen Hawash to exceed its 
serpentine banks, until the lowlands for 
many miles on either side were covered 
with a broad sheet of inundation. 

Meanwhile few events occurred to break 
the diurnal monotony. Extensive pecula- 
tions of the public revenues on the part of 
the tyrannical governor of Alio Amba, had 
led, first, to his. imprisonment in the madi 
beii, under the watchful eye of Wolda Hana, 
and. eventually to his being stripped of pro- 



perty, and turned forth upon the wide world 
a beggar. Abdel Yonag, the Hurrur con- 
sul, who possessed in eminent perfection 
the arts of fawning and flattery, had during 
the interregnum turned his subtilty to good 
account in the promotion of an insatiable 
taste for power and intrigue. He was for- 
mally nominated to the vacant post ; and 
toward the close of July, when the whole 
of the Ada'i'el and Hurrur ruffians, then 
resident in the market-town, obtained their 
annual audience of the king, the wily old 
slave-dealer, duly girded with the silver 
badge of office and authority, occupied the 
disgraced governor's seat at the footstool 
of the throne. 

Armed with creese, and spear, and shield, 
the kilted band whirled howling into the 
court-yard, performing their savage war- 
dance. The precincts of the palace rang 
to their wild yells ; and the vivid panto- 
mime of throat-cutting and disembow T el- 
ment was enacted to the life, in all its 
pleasing varieties. " Moot ! moot ! moot .'" 
shouted each prevailing warrior of note, 
shaking his sun-blanched locks, and omin- 
ously quivering his heavy lance, as he 
sprang in turn to the front, for the approval 
of the Christian monarch. " Is he dead ? 
Is he dead ?" ' : Burdhoo ! Burdhoo ! 
you've slain him ! you've slain him !" re- 
turned the turbaned peddler, facetiously 
clapping his hands on behalf of his royal 
patron — " Burdhoo ! Burdhoo .'" and ere 
the hero of this gratifying applause had 
retired, another and another brave had 
commenced his vaunting exhibition in front 
of the sable ranks, or was in the act of rip- 
ping up the foe who in mock conflict had 
sprung like a tiger across his adversary's 
loins, to grasp him as in a vice betwixt the 
muscles of his thighs. The court-buffoon 
was meanwhile diligently plying his occu- 
pation, by capering through the ranks with 
his unsheathed reaping-hook, and chatter- 
ing in ludicrous imitation of the Moslem 
barbarians — his successful mimicry elicit- 
ing shouts of applause, notwithstanding 
that the reality, as enacted in the hot val- 
leys below, had, on more occasions than 
one, been calculated to leave no very agree- 
able recollections in the mind of the Am- 
hara audience. 

At the motion of the herald, the assem- 
bled warriors now squatted their meagre, 
wiry forms before the raised alcove, each 
resting upon his spear-staff, and peering 
over his shield, according to the undevia- 
ting custom of the Bedouin savage. "Are 
you all well ? Are you well ? Are you 
quite well ?" repeated the dragoman who 
interpreted his majesty's salutations, "Are 



STATE DIPLOMACY— FESTIVAL OF FELSATA 



327 



your wives and all your children happy, 
and are your houses prosperous ? Have 
your flocks and your herds multiplied, and 
are your fields and your pastures covered 
with plenty ?" "Humdu lillah ! Humdu 
lillah .'" " Praise be unto God !" was the 
unvarying reply. " How are you, and how 
have you been ? We are the friends of 
Woosen Suggud, your father, who ruled 
before you, and we will always deal with 
you as our fathers dealt with your fathers 
who are now dead. We are near neigh- 
bors. May Allah keep our people and their 
children's children at peace the one with 
the other !" Cloths were now presented 
to the principal men, and oxen having been 
apportioned to their retainers, each rose in 
turn, and patted the extended hand of the 
monarch with his open palm ; one atrocious 
old ruffian who concluded the ceremony 
raising himself in his sandals, and grasp- 
ing the royal fingers so firmly that he had 
nearly succeeded in plucking him from his 
elevated throne. 

His majesty, although obviously little 
pleased at the rough practical joke, took it 
in good part, no doubt inwardly congratu- 
lating himself upon the happy termination 
of the wild levee. It had been fully illus- 
trative of the tact and diplomatic sagacity 
employed in the maintenance of ascend- 
ency over the more intractable portion of 
his nominal subjects, and in the cultivation 
of amicable political relations with the 
neighboring states. Wulasma Mohammad, 
as his chief agent, sat in regal dignity on 
this important occasion, and his dragoman, 
a native of Argobba, was the medium of 
communication. The throat of this man 
exhibited from ear to ear a conspicuous 
seam, pointed out by the bystanders as the 
work of his own hands. Great, indeed, 
must have been the desperation which at 
the present day could impel such an at- 
tempt at self-destruction on the frontiers 
of Shoa. One mile beyond, in any direc- 
tion, would of a surety supply numbers of 
volunteers for the task, from among those 
whose throat- cutting proficiency had so 
creditably been displayed during the recent 
pantomime ! 

Early in the month of August, the festi- 
val of Felsata brought a repetition of the 
customary skirmishes between the town's 
people and the slave establishment of the 
king. For the edification of a numerous 
concourse of spectators, the miry lane lead- 
ing to the church of " Our Lady " was at- 
tacked and defended with heavy clubs shod 
with rings of iron ; and after a severe con- 
flict, the servile invaders were finally driven 
from the field, with blood streaming from nu- 



merous broken heads, which were brought 
to the residency to be repaired. During 
the fortnight's fast that ensued in celebra- 
tion of the Assumption, the rough diver- 
sion was. frequently repeated, and absti- 
nence from food appeared to have soured 
the temper of the entire population. On 
the succeeding festival of the Transfigu- 
ration, styled "Debra Tabor," the capital 
was illuminated. While boys, carrying 
flambeaux, ran singing through the streets, 
every dwelling displayed such a light as 
its inmates could afford — none, however, 
of the old cotton rags besmeared with im- 
pure bees' wax, shining very luminously 
through the thick drizzling vapor that 
wrapped the cold hill in its clammy em- 
brace. 

One of the principal of the royal store- 
houses at Channoo, on the frontier, was at 
this period struck by lightning, and totally 
burnt to the ground. The king as usual 
was keeping the fast at Machalwans, and 
thither, according to custom, every noble 
and governor in the land flocked to offer 
condolence. Many were the long faces on 
the road, for the greatest consternation per- 
vaded all classes ; and the fat Wulasma in 
particular, on his way to break the dismal 
tidings to his despotic master, having the 
consequences of the late conflagration at 
Woti still fresh in his recollection, was 
observed to be in a state of extreme men- 
tal perturbation and anxiety. 

"Alas !" exclaimed the king, when his 
British guests contributed their mite of 
consolation — "Alas! that magazine was 
built by my ancestor Emmaha Yasoos. It 
measured six hundred cubits in length, and 
ninety spans in breadth, and it was piled 
with salt to the very roof. There is no 
salt in my country. I feared a rupture 
with the Adai'el who bring it from below, 
and I therefore stored up large quantities 
that my people might, never want. Now 
the lightning has taken all ; but who can 
repine ? — for it was the will of God." 



CHAPTER CXXXI. 

THE GOTHIC HALL. 

The models and plans of palaces that 
had been from time to time prepared, had 
imparted to the king a new architectural 
impulse ; and after much deliberation with 
himself, he had finally come to the reso- 
lution of expending the timber requisite 
toward the erection of a chaste Gothic edi- 
fice. In the selection of his design his 



328 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



majesty displayed unlooked for taste ; for 
although as a penman his talents rank im- 
measurably in advance of the most accom- 
plished of his scriveners, his skill as an 
artist has proved very circumscribed. It 
was nearly exhausted in the delineation of a 
nondescript bird, perched upon a tree-top, 
and did with difficulty extend to the one- 
legged fowler, gun-in-hand, who was con- 
jectured to be planning its destruction. 
Likenesses of the court favorites were fre- 
quently executed at the royal desire, and 
invariably acknowledged with much mer- 
riment ; but, although repeatedly urged, no 
persuasion could induce the despot to sit 
for his own portrait, from a firm belief in 
the old superstition, that whosoever should 
possess it, could afterward deal with him 
as he listed. 

" You are writing a book," he remarked 
on one occasion, with a significant glance 
— " I know this, because I never inquire 
what you are doing that they do not tell 
me you are using a pen, or gazing at the 
heavens. This is a good thing, and it 
pleases me. You will speak favorably of 
myself ; but you shall not insert my por- 
trait, as you have done that of the king of 
Zingero." 

The Abyssinians have from time imme- 
morial expended an entire tree in the re- 
duction to suitable dimensions of every 
beam or plank employed in their primitive 
habitations ; and it is not therefore surpris- 
ing that his majesty should have been equal- 
ly delighted and astonished at the economy 
of time, labor, and material attending the 
use of the cross-cut saw. From age to age, 
and generation to generation, the Ethiopian 
plods on like his forefathers, without even 
a desire for improvement. Ignoranoe and 
indolence confine him to a narrow circle 
of observation from which he is afraid to 
move. Strong prejudices are arrayed 
against the introduction of novelties, and 
eternal reference is made to ancestral cus- 
tom. But in a country where the absence 
of forest is so remarkable and inconvenient, 
the advantages extended by this novel im- 
plement of handicraft was altogether unde- 
niable. " You English are indeed a strange 
people," quoth the monarch, after the first 
plank had been fashioned by the European 
escort. " I do not understand your stories 
of the road in your country that is dug be- 
low the waters of a river, nor of the car- 
riages that gallop without horses ; but you 
are a strong people, and employ wonderful 
inventions." 

Meanwhile the platform required for the 
new building advanced slowly to comple- 
tion. The crowd of applicants for justice 



who daily convened before the tribunal of 
"the four chairs" were pressed into the 
service; and when his majesty returned 
from an excursion in the meadow, the en- 
tire cortege might be seen carrying each a 
stone before his saddle in imitation of the 
royal example. Early one morning ar- 
rived a message from the impatient despot 
to announce that the day being auspicious, 
he was desirous of seeing one post at least 
erected without delay. Greatly to his sat- 
isfaction the door frames were simultane- 
ously raised ; and it being ascertained that 
the sub-conservator of forests had neglect- 
ed to make the requisite supplies of timber, 
the delinquent was, with his wife and fam- 
ily, sentenced to vacate his habitation forth- 
with, and to bivouac sub divo during twenty 
days upon the Angollala meadow — a pun- 
ishment not unfrequently inflicted for venial 
derelictions of duty, and attended during 
the more inclement seasons with no ordi- 
nary inconvenience. 

But the endless succession of holydays, 
during which no work can be performed, 
interfered in a much greater degree with 
the completion of the rising structure — it 
being superstitiously imagined that any 
portion of a work erected on the festival 
of a saint, with the aid of edged tools, will 
infallibly entail a curse from above. No 
little delay arose also from the whims and 
caprices of his majesty, who could never 
satisfy himself that the doors and windows 
occupied the proper places — his ideas on 
this subject wandering perpetually to the 
ruins of a certain palace on the banks of 
the Nile, which he had visited while hunt 
ing the wild bufialo. " It is overgrown 
with trees and bushes," was the lucid de- 
scription given, " and it has two hundred 
windows, and four hundred pillars of stone, 
and none can tell whence it came." 

At length the Gothic hall was complete. 
It had been amusing in the interim to 
watch the progress making immediately 
below the palace by an unfortunate gun- 
man of the body-guard, who, whensoever 
the vigilant eye of the church permitted, 
would add to the frail wall of his circular 
dwelling a few layers of loose stone, which 
with his own single labor he had collected 
in the meadow. But each morning's dawn 
revealed to his sorrowing eyes some mon- 
strous breach in the unstable fabric, which, 
like Penelope's web, was never nearer to 
completion. The novel style of architec- 
ture introduced by the Gyptzis, so immeas- 
urably superior in elegance, stability, and 
comfort, to anything before witnessed in 
Shoa, and combining all these recommen- 
dations with so limited an expenditure of 



HARNESSED ELEPHANT— ROYAL AMBITION. 



329 



material, afforded an undeniable contrast to 
the adjacent tottering pile upon vaults 
whereon three years of labor had been vain- 
ly expended. Beyond the rude fabrics of 
the neighboring states, where the more 
common manufactures have attained a 
somewhat higher cultivation, the palace of 
the king can boast of no embellishment 
saving the tawdry trappings which deco- 
rate the throne— gaudy tapestries of crim- 
son velvet loaded with massive silver orna- 
ments, but ill in keeping with the clumsy 
mud walls to which they are appended, and 
serving to render the latter still more in- 
congruous by so striking a contrast. But 
the new apartments were furnished after 
the model of an English cottage orne, and 
with their couches, ottomans, carpets, 
chairs, tables, and curtains, had assumed 
an aspect heretofore unknown in Abys- 
sinia. " I shall turn it into a chapel," quoth 
his majesty, accosting Abba Raguel, and 
patting the little dwarf familiarly upon the 
back—" What say you to that plan, my 
father ?" 

As a last finishing touch, were suspend- 
ed in the centre hall a series of large col- 
ored engravings, which the cathedral of 
Saint Michael might well have envied, for 
they represented the chase of the tiger in 
all its varied phases. The domestication 
of the elephant, and its employment in 
war, or in the pageant, had ever proved a 
stumbling-block to the king, who all his 
life had been content to reside in a house 
boasting neither windows nor chimneys ; 
and who reigned not in the days when 
" the Negus, arrayed in the barbaric pomp 
of gold chains, collars, and bracelets, and 
surrounded by his nobles and musicians, 
gave audience to the embassador of Jus- 
tinian seated in the open field upon a lofty 
chariot, drawn by four elephants superbly 
caparisoned."* The grotesque appearance 
of the " hugest of beasts" in his hunting 
harness, struck the chord of a new idea. " I 
will have a number caught on the Robi," 
he exclaimed, " that you may tame them, 
and that I too may ride upon an elephant 
before I die." A favorite governor from a 
remote frontier province was standing 
meanwhile with his finger to his mouth, 
gazing in mute amazement at the wonders 
before him. " This place is not suited for 
the occupation of man," he at length ex- 
claimed, in a reverie of surprise, as the 
monarch ceased : " this is a palace design- 
ed only for the residence of the Deity, 
and of Sahela Selassie." 



* Gibbon. 

22 



CHAPTER CXXXII. 

THE " PRO REX OF EFAT" IN TRIBULATION. 

• Although finding small reason to be 
flattered with the first reception experien- 
ced in the kingdom of Shoa, at the hands 
of a Christian ruler who had sought alli- 
ance with Great Britain, it was neverthe- 
less matter of notoriety that no previous 
visitor had, under any circumstances, been 
treated with one hundreth part of the same 
courtesy and condescension, or had expe- 
rienced such unequivocal marks of confi- 
dence and favor. Formed on the most 
liberal scale, and supplied with all that can 
make such a country splendid and impo- 
sing, the embassy had, from the very first, 
been admitted to terms of perfect equality 
with the haughty despot. No veil had 
been thrown over the deep-rooted enmity 
of the bigoted and powerful priesthood, 
who, to serve their own sinister purposes, 
cunningly contrived to construe the costly 
gifts of the British Government into trib- 
ute to the illustrious descendant of the 
house of Solomon ; but the assertion car- 
ried its own refutation. In a weak moment 
Comus Unquies, " the king's strong monk," 
so far forgot the dignity due to his station, 
as to barter his bishop's staff to the heretic 
Gyptzis for a pair of Birmingham scissors ! 
European medicines had rescued three 
thousand patients from the jaws of death ; 
and improved intercourse with the mon- 
arch finally dispelled the jealousy created 
in a suspicious breast by the treasonable 
designs imputed to the foreign visitors, 
who were found to have brought no usur- 
per in a box ; and to entertain designs 
neither upon the sceptre nor upon the 
church of Ethiopia. 

The opposition of inimical functionaries 
dressed in fleeting authority had involved 
the necessity of enduring, without any 
display of vexation, numberless persecu- 
tions, trifling perhaps in themselves, but 
amounting in the aggregate to more than 
martyrdom. Few of the commands issued 
were obeyed so much in the spirit as to 
the letter. Eshee,* although doubtless sig- 
nifying assent, did not always bring com- 
pliance with even the most trifling appli- 
cation for assistance. The king was too 
polished to say " No," when he had in- 
wardly resolved to do nothing ; and an 
uneducated despot, who has never known 
any law but his own absolute will, and 
who lives for himself alone ; who consid- 
ers and claims as his property everything 

* i. e. « Yes." 



330 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



in the country over which he wields the 
arbitrary sceptre ; and whose only idea of 
wealth, power, and happiness, is centered 
in individual existence, can so ill under- 
stand the wants of others, that his majes- 
ty's offences toward his guests might rather 
be termed sins of omission than of com- 
mission. 

Covetous, and eager for novelties, Sa- 
hela Selassie never fails to wish for every- 
thing that comes under his observation ; 
but, like a child with a new toy, soon weary 
of looking at the bauble, though still vain 
of its possession, he casts it aside to be 
hoarded in the mouldy vaults of some dis- 
tant magazine. The savage is the same 
under every possible form, and in every 
grade and position — the one stealing wnat 
he covets, while another, seeking plausible 
pretexts, obtains possession through low- 
cunning and stratagem. Among such a 
nation of beggars as the people of Southern 
Abyssinia, it was not always easy to satisfy 
the rapacity of fastidious extortioners. All 
wanted pleasant things — many demanded 
dollars to defray the cost of slaves that 
they had purchased, but for whom they 
could not pay ; and for months after the 
arrival of the embassy, requisitions for pri- 
vate property were unceasing on the part 
also of the monarch. 

Neither compulsory measures nor direct 
applications were ever employed ; but the 
means resorted to were not the less certain 
of success. With that duplicity and want 
of candor which ever marks uncivilized 
man, he was wont to send underhand com- 
munications, or ineaniy to depute his emis- 
saries to reveal his desires and his inten- 
tions, in a manner which in so despotic a 
land could leave no doubt of authenticity ; i 
and an offer of the article coveted being 
forthwith made, his majesty hesitated not, 
in the presence of his agents, to deny all 
cognizance of the transaction, or to swear 
by the saints that he never sought the prop- 
erty tendered for his acceptance. Persua- 
sion would not induce him to receive it at 
once, and thus to terminate the matter ; 
but no sooner had it been removed from his 
sight, than his creatures were again at 
work with even greater ac'ivity than be- 
fore ; and rude taunts of breach of prom- 
ise, with not-to-be-mistaken hints' veiled 
under the cloak of friendship, were certain 
to instigate a second and a third offer, which 
invariably elicited an avowal of the disin- 
clination entertained to " receive the prop- 
erty of his children," but uniformly ended 
in his accepting it " as a free gift from the 
heart," acknowledged in all gratitude by 
the benediction — " God restore it to thee, 



my son ! May the Lord glorify and reward 
thee !" 

Chief of all the sycophants who bask in 
the favor of the monarch, may be ranked 
Wulasma Mohammad, who in finesse, 
plausibility, and all the specious devices 
that are employed to cover total want of 
sincerity, can find no equal in the kingdom 
of Shoa. Lavish in professions of friend- 
ship, he never suffered an opportunity of 
gratifying his inwardly-cherished animos- 
ity to escape him. Presents were frequent- 
ly exchanged — the sugar-cane and the 
bunch of green gram, which are the sym- 
bols of hearts knit together in the bonds 
of unity, arrived with the same regularity 
as the week, coupled of course with a de- 
scription of some " pleasing thing" that 
was not to be found in Goncho. The lemon, 
denoting by its aromatic fragrance the beau- 
ties of permanent amity, was ever sure to 
follow the receipt of the desired article, as 
the article was sure to be sent. Profes- 
sions daily grew more profuse, and com- 
plimentary inquiries, which constitute the 
very essence of friendship, waxed more and 
more frequent ; but although the regard 
entertained " amounted to even heaven and 
earth," and although every aid and assist- 
ance was volunteered, no packet of letters 
ever arrived to the address of the Gyptzis, 
neither did any courier ever depart for the 
sea-coast, without being subjected to a te- 
dious detention on the frontier at the hands 
of the despotic state jailer. 

On the first of these occasions, the king, 
before sending the packet to the residency, 
had taken the trouble of breaking the seal 
of every individual cover with his own royal 
fingers ; and a protest having been entered 
against a procedure so utterly foreign to 
European ideas of propriety, his majesty 
inquired, with well-feigned simplicity, "Of 
what use should my children's letters be 
to me, who understand not their language ?" 
Remonstrances w r ere in like manner made 
to the abogaz, touching his interference in 
such matters ; but as the crafty old fox 
screened himself behind total ignorance 
of the value attached to written documents, 
and volunteered better behavior, the sub- 
ject was set at rest. 

But although letters were now thorough- 
ly understood to be held in higher estima- 
tion even than fine gold from Gurague,the 
evil, far from being abated, became greater 
and greater, until at last it was no longer 
to be borne. Promises made, were made 
only to be broken ; and a serious complaint 
was at last, carried to the throne at Angol- 
lala, representing that another packet had 
been secreted during an entire fortnight ia 



THE EX- WULASMA— ABYSSINIAN CHARACTER. 



331 



the fortified vaults of Goncho. After stout- 
ly denying all knowledge of it, until con- 
victed by incontrovertible evidence, and 
then declaring it to be deposited, for safety- 
sake, in the custody of his brother Jhalia, 
who was absent on the frontier, he was 
commanded to set out forthwith upon the 
quest, and to return at his peril empty- 
handed. " Our friendship has ceased for 
ever," muttered the burly caitiff betwixt 
his closed teeth as he descended the lad- 
der — " for through your means the king 
hath become wroth with his servant." 
" Let his friendship go into the sea," quoth 
his majesty, who had overheard this ap- 
palling announcement — " Is not he an ac- 
cursed Islam ? Look only to me. Have I 
not always told you that my people are bad ? 
Ye have travelled far into a strange land, 
and are to Sahela Selassie even as his own 
children. Ye have no relative but me." 

The escape of the rebel Medoko had 
formerly led to the suspension of the 
abogaz from rank and office for a period 
of two years, during which he danced at- 
tendance upon the monarch with shoulders 
bared, as is the wont of the disgraced 
noble. His troubles had now returned. 
" My ancestors owed a debt of gratitude 
to Mohammad's father," continued his 
majesty after a pause, " and I would fain 
overlook his faults ; but this insolence is 
no longer to be borne. I have removed 
the drunkard from office, confiscated his 
goods and chattels, and by the death of 
Woosen Suggud, I swear, that unless you 
intercede, there can be no hope of his 
restoration to favor." 

Down came the ex-wulasma in a furious 
passion, boiling with old hydromel, and 
flushed with his rapid ride : " How should 
I know that you wanted these vile letters ?" 
he exclaimed, throwing the packet scorn- 
fully upon the ground — " I have done no- 
thing. What offence have I committed, 
that I am thus to suffer through your 
means ? There is a proverb, that the dog 
of the house is faithful to its master, but 
that he who coraeth from beyond is worse 
than a hyena." 

But a week had wrought a wonderful 
change in the sentiments of the humbled 
functionary, whose beeves were indeed 
grazing in the royal pastures, and his jars 
of old mead reposing in the royal cellars. 
He at whose sullen nod the subjects of 
Efat quailed, and whose presence was as 
an incubus to the state-prisoners in Gon- 
cho, had been, at the representation of a 
foreigner, stripped of wealth. and power, 
and, in accordance with the usage of the 
country, was now fain to wait durino- a 
22* 



succession of days upon those whom he 
had injured. Seating himself at the door 
of the tent in sackcloth and ashes, he sent 
in two friends, who came, according to 
the custom of the country, to serve as me- 
diators. " Behold, I am reduced to the 
condition of a beggar," was his abject mes- 
sage, " and have no support but in your 
intercession. My children are deprived 
of their bread, and they starve through the 
faults of their father." 

The commander-in-chief of the body 
guard was spokesman on behalf of the 
caitiff. He brought, as a mamalacha, a 
huge Sanga horn, filled to the brim with 
the liquor that he loved, and his eloquence 
was in truth quite irresistible. "Half the 
people of Habesh," quoth old Katama in 
his husky voice, "have ears like a hill, 
and they cannot hear — the residue are 
liars. Furthermore, one half are thieves 
and drunkards, and the remainder are 
cowards." There was no refuting the 
brave general's argument. A solemn oath 
was therefore administered upon the Koran, 
by which the suppliant, who, in his own 
person, united nearly all the attributes em- 
braced in this able classification, pledged 
himself never again to interfere with mes- 
sengers bearing letters to or from the low 
country. His pardon was finally obtained; 
and he was once more invested with the 
silver sword of office : nor is it easy to de- 
termine whether the disgrace or the resto- 
ration of the fat frontier functionary cre- 
ated the greater sensation throughout the 
realm. 

" What can you expect from that be- 
sotted old man ?" inquired Ay to Melkoo, 
who had been a silent spectator of all that 
passed, and who hated both the abogaz and 
his mediator with equal intensity. " Did 
you never hear that the king was once 
displeased with me, and that I passed a 
few months beneath the grates at Goncho 
— and furthermore, that when the order 
came to set me at large, the state jailer 
was drunk, and never thought again of 
his prisoner for a full fortnight ? Tfye in- 
fidel may swear as long as he pleases, and 
take his sacred book to witness ; but how 
can you suppose that he will ever be able 
to think of these letters of yours ?" 



CHAPTER CXXXIII. 

THE BEREAVEMENT. 

A calamity shortly afterward over- 
took the master of the horse, whose spouse 



332 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



— a gift from the monarch to his faithful 
subject — was seized with alarming influen- 
za, and became an object of universal at- 
tention. The first intimation of the dis- 
order being serious was received from 
himself, when he came one morning to 
perform the interesting operation of shaving 
with a notched razor that he invariably 
patronized, and also to demand how it oc- 
curred that inquiries were not more fre- 
quently made. The not dispatching cou- 
riers daily to ascertain how each of your 
friends fare and have rested is perhaps the 
greatest offence that can be committed 
against Abyssinian etiquette. " Send to 
me," is a caution invariably given ; and 
such being an indispensable constituent 
when people are believed to be well, what 
must not be exacted when it is supposed 
that they are invalids ? If hourly inquiries 
be not instituted at full length, the best 
friends are sure to become the worst ; and 
in every case the amount of real solicitude 
felt, is estimated by the frequency of "ami- 
cable correspondence." 

"The patient's uvula has been cleverly 
plucked out with a silken thread," ob- 
served the visitor exultingly, when his 
toilet was happily completed : " the thorax 
has been well scarified, and furthermore, 
we are giving ya medur oomboi. This 
medicine is infallible ; but remember," he 
added, lowering his voice, and looking 
suspiciously round to see that no eaves- 
dropper profitted by the wisdom that he 
was about to impart in confidence — "re- 
member that it must be gathered by a 
finger on which there is a silver ring, or 
it possesses no virtue whatever." 

The good lady did not, however, long 
stand in need either of treatment or in- 
quiry. She closed her bright eyes short- 
ly after swallowing the infallible nostrum, 
administered by her quack husband in a 
jorum of oatmeal gruel, stirred with honey 
and rancid butter to such a consistency that 
the spoon would stand — and death left her 
barely time for confession and absolution. 

Every priest in the neighborhood was 
instantly called in to the rescue ; and the 
enchifchif* and mateb having been im- 
mersed in water, and restored to the body, 
the sacrament was administered ; and under 
the blazing light of the torch prayers were 
chanted for the soul of the deceased until 
the morning dawned. 

Then commenced the frantic shrieks of 
the female crowd that flocked to the house 
of mourning. Cloths were torn in shreds 
from the bosom, and the skin plucked 
■ 

* i. e. Belt of charms and amulets. 



from the temples, while the low moaning 
dirge was at frequent intervals interrupted 
by the hysterical sob of some new arrival, 
who came to add her voice to the dismal 
coronach, and to excite renewed bursts of 
lamentation. 

Preceded by the gay orange umbrellas 
of the church of the " Covenant of Mercy," 
the funeral procession wound up the pal- 
ace-hill. A pail of printed Surat chintz, 
supported by six bearers, was waved alter- 
nately with a fanning motion, while a nu- 
merous train of mourners followed, with 
loud wails, all having their hands clasped 
behind the neck in token of the triumph 
obtained by Death over Sin. The corpse 
was laid in the sacred edifice, surrounded 
by twelve lighted tapers betokening purity 
of life ; and when these were nearly con- 
sumed, they were lowered with the bier 
| into the sepulchre. The head was laid to 
; the west, in order that on the morn of 
j resurrection the face might be toward the 
rising sun. A quantity of frankincense 
{ was deposited in the grave ; and a copy of 
I the book styled Lefufa Zedik, " The Sup- 
: plication of Righteousness," having been 
| placed on the body, the mortal clay was 
I returned whence it came, " ashes to ashes. 
| and dust to dust." 

Ecclesiastics alone possess the privilege 
' of a last resting-place within the walls of 
j the church, or on the eastern side four 
paces from the porch. The aristocracy 
occupy the north, and warriors, women, 
; and children the south and west. All who 
i die without confession or absolution are 
either interred by the highway-side or in 
some unconsecrated ground. Governors, 
men of rank, and all wealthy commoners 
who have not during life worked in wood, 
iron, or precious metals, are covered in the 
sepulchre with the green branches of the 
juniper ; but smiths and artificers being 
regarded as sorcerers, every care is taken 
to keep them under ground when once de- 
posited, to which end great stones are 
heaped over the body, and the earth is 
well trampled and secured. 

Funeral obsequies concluded, the dirge 
of mourning, as usual, gave place to the 
notes of the violin, for harpers and fiddlers 
usually attend to the last resting-place the 
mortal remains of the great, and exert 
their utmost endeavors to raise the spirits 
of the return party by the liveliest airs. 
At the funeral feast which followed, oxen 
and sheep were freely slaughtered, and 
charity was liberally distributed, in order 
that requiems might be chanted during 
forty consecutive days for the soul of the 
departed. 



THE GREAT ANNUAL FORAY— METTA GALLA. 



333 



It has been shown that the Abyssinian 
Christian, while execrating* Mohammadan- 
ism, and forswearing- every Moslem abom- 
ination, can take unto his bosom four wives 
and more, and that the solemnization of 
matrimony is almost the only occasion on 
which the priest is not called in. Such 
had ever been the case in the house of the 
master of the horse, who was nevertheless 
inconsolable under his present bereave- 
ment. Certain malicious whispers had 
flown abroad to the effect that applications 
of the cudgel were sometimes resorted to 
by the epicure in support of his marital au- 
thority ; but whether true or without foun- 
dation, these scandalous tales were known 
to have been circulated by Dinkoo, a mis- 
chief-making brat with the falsest of 
tongues, and the offspring of one whose 
divorce, from incompatibility of temper, 
had left the deceased undisputed mistress 
of the premises, whereas of " Etagainya" 
on the contrary, the neighbors were wont 
to say that which her name implied, 
"Where shall you find her equal ?" 

At the appointed season, the customary 
visit of condolence was not omitted, con- 
siderable difficulty being nevertheless ex- 
perienced in shaking off the attentions of 
the court buffoon, who, with his wonted 
politeness, exerted somewhat mal-a-propos 
to so melancholy an occasion, did insist 
upon the exercise of his ingenuity in the 
comic drama. The widower, enveloped 
in a black woollen mantle, was seated in 
a gloomy corner, the very personification 
of mourning — his temples deeply scarified 
with his little finger nail, as were those 
also of the wrinkled old woman who wept 
beside him. In an opposite corner, equally 
the victim of grief, and supported by the 
family priest with cross, crutch, and cowl, 
sat Marietta, a fat daughter of the former 
unfortunate union, who, like her mother, 
had been wedded and divorced, and having 
taken shelter again under her father's roof, 
was now sobbing aloud. 

" God hath taken her," said one of the 
guests, breaking silence after the conclu- 
sion of the customary salutations. 

" Alas !" sobbed the bereaved, " that it 
had pleased heaven to spare her until after 
you had left Abyssinia, that I alone might 
have found cause of affliction. Who could 
prepare shiro, wotz, and dilli like Eta- 
gainya ? When was the house ever des- 
titute of quanta or of qualima ?* and who 
ever asked for tulldh or for tudji, that she 

* Shiro, a sauce composed of peas or lentils boiled 
with grease and spices. Wotz, another, consisting of 
grease and red pepper. Dilli, a third abominable con- 
diment. Quanta, sun-dried flesh. Qualima, sausages 



did not reply, " Malto," There is abund- 
ance ? Where shall \ / find her equal ? 
But there could have been no ring on the 
linger that gathered the medanit /" 



CHAPTER CXXXIV. 

THE GREAT ANNUAL FORAY. 

Another Abyssinian year had been 
borne upon the stream of time, to join the 
years that are beyond the flood ; and again 
the return of spring had been celebrated 
by the green fillet of e?ikotatach, by the 
tournament in the bright meadows of De- 
bra Berhan ; and by the plaintive ditty of 
the king's guragues, who, with the yellow 
garlands of the cross-flower wreathed 
among their raven tresses, once more 
chanted away their three days of privileg- 
ed days of inebriety. As September drew 
toward a close, it had been confidently 
predicted that the rain would terminate 
according to its " covenant ;" but it still 
poured on with unabated violence ; and 
the review of Maskal was achieved under 
a pitiless deluge, which exerted its best 
endeavors both to mar the pageant, and to 
extinguish the evening bonfire raised in 
honor of St. Helena. 

But the beat of the nugareet, and the 
voice of the herald beneath the solitary 
tree at Angollala, proclaimed the great an- 
nual foray as heretofore ; and the plain be- 
low the palace-hill was soon dotted with 
the black woollen tents of the leaders of 
cohorts. There were the governors of 
Bulga and of Mentshar, and of Morat and 
Morabeitie, and Efrata and Antzochia, and 
of Mahhfood and of Shoa Meda, with all 
their subordinates, each surrounded by his 
own retainers ; and the rear division of 
this feudal host was placed under the com- 
mand of Besuenech, now governor of Gid- 
dem, the father of the king's grand nephew, 
who fell the preceding year upon the fair 
plains of Germama. 

Led on to victory by the holy ark of St. 
Michael, the great crimson umbrellas 
streamed again through the barrier wall at 
the head of the Christian chivalry. Twenty 
thousand troopers pursued the route of the 
Sertie Lake to the Metta Galla, occupying 
the plains immediately contiguous to the 
valley of Finfinni, and who were now the 
victims marked out for spoliation. The 
despot had so invariably passed this tribe 
without offering any molestation, that the 
heathen were little prepared for the thun- 



334 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



der-bolt that was about to fall ; and of 
• which the first intimation was afforded in 
the simultaneous investiture of the entire 
tract. Overwhelmed by the torrent of des- 
olation which had so suddenly burst in, 
four thousand five hundred Gentiles of all 
ages were butchered by the soldiers of 
Christ ; and of these, the greater number 
were shot from the trees that they had as- 
cended in the vain hope of eluding observ- 
ation. Three hapless individuals were 
thus barbarously destroyed by the hands 
of Sahela Selassie, who for the first time 
led his troops to the summit of the moun- 
tain Entotto — the ancient capital of Ethi- 
opia — and, taking formal possession, ap- 
pointed the arch-rebel Shambo to the gov- 
ernment, under the title of " Shoorn of all 
Gurague." 

Forty-three thousand head of cattle were 
on this occasion swept away to replenish 
the royal pastures ; and the rich prize had 
been obtained with the loss of only nine of 
the king's liege subjects. Of the heroes 
who fell, one was torn by a lion in the 
deep juniper forest ; and another basely as- 
sassinated by his comrade in arms, whose 
disfigured corse was subsequently left in 
retribution to the hyenas ; while a third, a 
priest of extraordinary piety, and the father 
of the young page Besabeh, was transfixed 
by the spear of a Pagan, who sat conceal- 
ed amid the branches of a tree, beneath 
which the holy man rode in a rash attempt 
to secure a fugitive. The king's master 
of the horse wore the vaunting green 
sareti, for having achieved the capture of a 
child scarce five years of age, whom he 
had cut over the leg, and otherwise cruelly 
mutilated. Hundreds of murderous tro- 
phies were again piled in a heap before 
the monarch ; and upward of one thousand 
captives, chiefly women and young girls, 
swelled the barbaric pomp of triumphal en- 
try to Angollala, when men and horses 
glittered in brass and scarlet. All were, 
however, immediately liberated without 
ransom, upon remonstrance made to the 
throne. " I listen to your words," said his 
majesty, as he again issued the fiat of re- 
lease, " that the name of Sahela Selassie 
be not broken." 

Such is a sad picture of the atrocities 
perpetrated by the undisciplined armies of 
Ethiopia, when disputing the abstruse mys- 
teries of Abyssinian divinity, or seeking, 
in the relentless fury of religious hate, to 
exterminate a heathen and stranger nation 
by a series of crusades undertaken as an 
acceptable vindication of the sacred sym- 
bol of Christianity. 



"Her badge of mercy blazons half their shields; 
Sword hilts are fashion'd as memorials of it: 
The sign of man's forgiveness leads to battle ! 
While every tyrant hangs its ensign out, 
In scorn of justice, from his battlements ; 
Mail'd prelates march before it to the field — 
Priest fights with priest, and both sides under it ! 
This sign and pledge of mercy !" 

The Abyssinians have fully adopted that 
spirit of merciless destruction which im- 
pelled the Israelites to destroy their ene- 
mies from the faith of the earth. Consid- 
ering themselves the lineal descendants of 
those heroes of ancient history who were 
arranged against the enemies of the Lord, 
they are actuated by the same motives and 
feelings which led the bands of Judah to 
the massacre. The foe is a pagan, who 
does not fast, nor kiss the church, nor wear 
a mateb. All feelings of humanity are 
thrown to the winds ; and a high reward 
in heaven is believed to await the king and 
the blood-thirsty soldier for the burning of 
the hamlet, the capture of the property, 
and the murder of the accursed Gentile. 
The words of absolution from the mouth 
of the father confessor usher in the ruth- 
less slaughter ; and the name of the Most 
High is wantonly employed to consecrate 
the ensuing scenes of savage atrocity. 

That the minds of the people should not 
be more disturbed and alienated from agri- 
cultural pursuits, by the continued military 
expeditions they are thus called upon to 
make, cannot fail to appear extraordinary. 
Probably the selfishness of the despot, in 
his appropriation of the lion's share of the 
spoil, has exerted a salutary influence in 
checking innate restlessness ; and the sub- 
ject has been instructed in a rough school, 
that there is more profit to be derived from 
holding the plough than from wielding the 
sword : for it is certainly the fact, that when 
the foray is over, the war-horse is turned 
loose in the meadow, and the partisan wil- 
lingly returns to his peaceful avocations in 
the field. But three campaigns bring an- 
nually a repetition of the most atrocious 
and monstrous barbarity, so revolting in 
itself, as to disgrace any terming themselves 
a people ; and none who have witnessed 
the unhallowed proceedings of the Amhara 
warrior can fail to offer up a fervent prayer, 
that the time may be hastened, when na- 
tions shall be knit together in the bonds of 
love, and when true Christianity shall reign 
paramount in every heart. 

December had now commenced, but a 
dense gloomy mist still enveloped the hill 
of Anko, and torrents of rain continued to 
deluge the country, at a season when the 
smiling sun had been wont to shine over 
the land. The fair face of heaven was ut- 



'* 



THE EARTHQUAKE— SWEEPING DESOLATION. 



335 



terly obscured. The ripe crops lay rotting 
upon the ground : the hopes of the culti- 
vator were wrecked by the mildew and the 
fog ; and as the inhabitants waded with 
difficulty through the deep mire which filled 
every street and lane of the capital, the 
exchange of mournful salutations was fol- 
lowed by a foreboding shake of the head at 
the daily increasing price of provisions. 
The season emulated the rigor of an arctic 
region ; and the firewood, wet and soaked 
with the continued rain, hissing and sput- 
tering upon the hearth, refused to impart 
one atom of genial heat. On the bleak 
summit of the Abyssinian alps everything 
was cold and clammy to the touch ; and a 
dull gusty wind, creeping up the damp sides 
of the hill, entered at each crevice in the 
mud wall, and rendered the situation of the 
inmates of the frail houses even more mis- 
erable than usual. 

As the evening of an eventful night* 
closed in, which was to witness the destruc- 
tion of a portion of the capital, not a single 
breath of wind disturbed the thick fog 
which still brooded over the mountain. A 
sensible difference was perceptible in the 
atmosphere, but the rain again commenced 
to descend in a perfect deluge, and for 
hours pelted like the discharge of the burst- 
ing water-spout. Toward morning a vio- 
lent thunder-storm careered along the crest 
of the range, and for some minutes the 
entire scene was fearfully illuminated by 
the dazzling fire of heaven ; and every rock 
and cranny reechoed from the succeeding 
crash of the hurtling thunder. Deep dark- 
ness again settled over the mountain. 
Then the earth groaned and trembled to 
its very centre : the hill reeled and tottered 
like a drunken man ; and a heavy rum- 
bling noise, like the passage of artillery 
wheels, was followed by the shrill cry of 
mortal despair. 

The earth, saturated with moisture, had 
slidden like an avalanche from the steep 
rugged slopes, and huge rocks, heaved from 
their cradles, pursued a sweeping course 
into the glens below. Houses and cottages 
were engulfed and buried in the dark de- 
bris, or shattered to fragments by the mon- 
strous masses bounding on their course 
with terrific rapidity. Trees were uptorn 
from their resting-place of ages ; and day- 
light presented to the eyes of the affrighted 
inhabitants a strange scene of ruin. 

Perched upon the apex of the conical 
peak, the palace had, on the preceding 
evening, frowned over the capital in all the 
security of its numerous encircling pali- 



* December the 6th. 



sades ; but now, shorn of their bristling 
protection, those buildings that had not 
been overthrown stood naked and exposed. 
Twenty open breaches, as though heavy 
batteries had been playing for a fortnight 
on the devoted hill, swept up to the very 
porch of the banqueting-hall ; and palings 
and palisadoes, hurled from their deep foun- 
dations, lay broken and mingled together, 
strewed over the entire face of the emi- 
nence. The roads along the scarp were 
completely obliterated. Tall green shrubs 
reclined with their roots reversed among 
the wreck ; and not one vestige of the fra- 
gile tenements could be discovered in the 
bare earthy tracts which disfigured the 
mountain-side, and marked the disastrous 
course of the treacherous slip. 

The more vigilant inmates had, with the 
loss of all their little property, found barely 
time to rush from the interior, and, hud- 
dled together in shivering groups totally 
denuded of clothing, had passed the rem- 
nant of the night in all the pangs of cold 
and terror ; while in the market-place lay 
-extended the stark discolored bodies of nu- 
merous victims that had been already ex- 
tricated from the slimy ruins, and were 
placed in the Arada for recognition by sur- 
viving relatives, if any there were. The 
shrieks of the mourners added to the dis- 
tress of the scene. The hymn of entreaty 
rose high in the mist from every church 
throughout the town ; and bands of priests, 
carrying the holy cross, marched in solemn 
procession through the miry streets, beat- 
ing their breasts and calling aloud upon 
Saint Michael the archangel, and upon 
Mary the mother of the Messiah, to inter- 
cede for them in this the day of their afflic- 
tion. 

Sweeping desolation had spread for miles 
along the great range : houses with their 
inmates and household gear had been hur- 
ried away, and scattered in fragments over 
the mountain-side ; and the voice of wail- 
ing from the green hill-top and from the 
sheltered nook, announced the many vic- 
tims that were thus immaturely buried in 
the dark bosom of the earth. The destruc- 
tion varied considerably according to sit- 
uation and locality. Some villages were 
entirely smothered under the descending 
tons of heavy wet soil, and the inhabitants 
of others grieved only for their cattle, their 
crops, and their farm-steading; but the loss 
of life and property was altogether im- 
mense ; and although the tremulous shock 
had been before frequently experienced, a 
similar to the present calamity had not be- 
fallen the country within the memory of 
man. 



336 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



For many nights afterward, as the thick 
mist still continued to enwrap the mountain 
in its dark shroud, and the sloppy rain 
plashed heavily over the denuded rocks, 
the air at the close of each dull evening 
was filled with the plaintive sounds of hymn 
and prayer. The deep voice of the priest- 
hood pealed incessantly from the churches ; 
and groups of bewildered females, collected 
in every corner of the streets, bowed them- 
selves to the ground, while calling in 
strangely wild cadence upon the Virgin, 
who is the Mediator, and upon all the saints 
and guardian angels, to preserve the be- 
lievers in Christ from impending ruin — for 
the wise men who deal in sorcery had pro- 
claimed that the present throe was only the 
harbinger of the wrath of Heaven, which 
would one day sweep the high mountain 
of Anko with all her inhabitants utterly 
from the face of the earth. 



CHAPTER CXXXV. 

LIBERATION OF THE PRINCES OF THE BLOOD 
ROYAL OF SHOA. 

Humanity to his own subjects must be 
considered a distinguishing feature in the 
character of the reigning despot ; and al- 
though his manifold good qualities are sul- 
lied by the part he sustains in the odious 
traffic in his fellow-men — a moral plague 
which has by its baleful influence contam- 
inated the entire continent, whereof Shoa 
forms not the six hundredth part — he had, 
on more occasions than one, evinced an 
unlooked-for readiness to open his eyes to 
his errors. Possessed of faults insepara- 
ble from the absolute semi-barbarian, he 
had, nevertheless, been found mild, just, 
clement, and almost patriarchal in his gov- 
ernment — he is a monarch whom experi- 
ence has proved worthy to reign over a 
better people, and to be possessed of an 
understanding and of latent virtues requir- 
ing nought save cultivation to place him 
in a moral and intellectual point of view, 
immeasurably in advance of other African 
potentates. 

In the mind of this powerful Christian 
autocrat, wielding the sceptre in the heart 
of heathen Africa, and exercising a wide 
influence over the destinies of surround- 
ing millions, had already been aroused a 
sense of the wickedness and degradation 
attaching in civilized lands to barter in the 
flesh and blood of the sons of Adam. He 
then it was who, of all others, might be 
exhorted with the best prospect of success, 



to break through the barbarous precaution- 
ary policy under which those members of 
the royal house who possess a contingent 
claim to the crown, and in other Chris- 
tian realms would hold the highest offices 
and honors within its gift, had, through 
every generation since the days of the son 
of David, been doomed to chains in a living 
grave. And from the fortunate fact of the 
issue male of the present reign being 
to two, might be derived the pleasant hope, 
that if a statute so jealously guarded during 
nearly three thousand years, could now 
for once be infringed, it would not in all 
probability be revived on the monarch's 
demise. 

Entertaining the liveliest fears of death, 
his manifold superstitions were ever the 
most easily awakened during sickness, 
when the actions of his past life crowded 
up in judgment before him. It was on 
these occasions that, in order to quiet his 
conscience, he made the most liberal vo- 
tive offerings to the church and to the mo- 
nastery, and that he gained the greatest 
victories over his deep-rooted avarice ; and 
it was on these occasions, therefore, that 
the chord of his latent good feeling might 
obviously be touched with the happiest re- 
sult to the cause of humanity. 

That singular blending of debauchery 
and devotion which marks the royal vigils 
has seriously impaired a constitution natu- 
rally good. During a long succession of 
years the Psalms of David and the strong- 
est cholera mixture have equally shared 
the midnight hours of the king ; and al- 
though scarcely past the meridian of life, 
he is subject to sudden spasmodic attacks 
of an alarming character. In one of these 
his restoration had been despaired of both 
by the priests and his physicians ; and the 
voice of wailing and lamentation already 
filled the precincts of the palace. 

Scarcely was it light ere there came a 
page with an urgent summons to the pres- 
ence. Pale and emaciated, with fevered 
lip and bloodshot eye, the despot reclined 
upon a couch in a dark corner of the closed 
veranda, his head enveloped in a swathe of 
white cloth, and his trembling arms sup- 
ported by bolsters and cushions. Abba 
Raguel, the dwarf father confessor, with 
eyes swollen from watching, was rocking 
to and fro, while he drowsily scanned an 
illuminated Ethiopic volume, containing 
the lives of the martyrs ; and in deep con- 
sultation with the sick monarch was a fa- 
vorite monk, habited like an Arab Bedouin 
in a black goat's-hair cameline and a yel- 
low cowl, but displaying the sacred cross 
in his right hand. The loud voice of the 



SUCCESSFUL APPEAL— FOREIGN ASCENDENCY. 



337 



priesthood arose in boisterous song from 
the adjacent apartment : strings of red 
worsted had been tied round the monarch's 
thumbs and great toes ; and the threshold 
of the outer chamber was bedewed with 
the still moist blood of a black bullock, 
which, when the taper of life was flicker- 
ing in the socket, had been thrice led round 
the royal couch, and, with its head turned 
toward the East, was then slaughtered at 
the door, in the name of the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost. 

" My children," said his majesty in a 
sepulchral voice, as he extended his burn- 
ing hand toward his European visitors — 
" behold, I am sore stricken. Last night 
they believed me dead, and the voice of 
mourning had arisen within the palace 
walls, but God hath spared me until now. 
Tell me the medicine for this disease." 

An attempt was made to follow the eti- 
quette of the Abyssinian court, by tasting 
the draught prescribed ; but the king, 
again extending his parched hand, protest- 
ed against this necessity. "What need 
is there now of this ?" he exclaimed re- 
proachfully : " do not I know that you 
would administer to Sahela Selassie noth- 
ing that could do him mischief? My peo- 
ple are bad ; and if God had not mercy on 
me to restore me, they would deal evil with 
you — and to strip you of your property 
would even take away your lives." 

The king had oftentimes been compli- 
mented upon the mildness and equity of 
his rule, and on the readiness with which 
he gave ear to intercession on behalf of 
the slave. The implicit confidence which 
had supplanted all fear and suspicion in the 
breast of his majesty, now favored a still 
stronger appeal to his humanity, to his 
magnanimity, and to his piety. He was 
urged to take into favorable consideration 
the abject condition of his royal brothers 
— victims to a tyrannical and unnatural 
statute, the legacy of a barbarous age, 
which for centuries had resulted in such 
incalculable misery and mischief. He was 
reminded that it belongs unto those who 
wield the sceptre to triumph over preju- 
dices ; and that by the liberation of many 
innocent captives, of whom, though pos- 
sessing the strongest claim that blood can 
give, he had perhaps scarcely even thought 
during his long and prosperous reign, he 
would perform an act alike acceptable to 
Heaven, and calculated to secure to him- 
self on earth an imperishable name. 

" And I will release them," returned the 
monarch, after a moment's debate within 
himself. " By the holy Eucharist I swear, 
and by the church of the Holy Trinity in 



Koora Gadel, that if Sahela Selassie arise 
from this bed of sickness, all of whom you 
speak shall be restored to the enjoyment 
of liberty." 

The sun was shining brighter than usual, 
through a cloudless azure sky, when the 
British embassy received a welcome sum- 
mons to witness the redemption of this 
solemn pledge. The balcony of Justice 
was tricked out in its gala suit; and 
priests, governors, sycophants, and court- 
iers, crowded the yard, as the despot, re- 
stored to health, in the highest spirits and 
good humor, took his accustomed seat 
upon the velvet cushions. The mandate 
had gone forth for the liberation of his 
brothers and his blood relatives, and it had 
been published abroad, that the royal kith 
and kindred were to pass the residue of 
their days free and unfettered near the 
person of the king, instead of in the dark 
cells of Goncho. 

There were not wanting certain sapient 
sages who gravely shook the head of dis- 
approval at this fresh proof of foreign in- 
fluence and ascendency, and who could in 
nowise comprehend how the venerable 
custom of ages could be thus suddenly 
violated. The introduction of great guns, 
and muskets, and rockets, had not been 
objected to, although, as a matter of course, 
the spear of their forefathers was esteemed 
an infinitely superior weapon. Musical 
clocks and boxes had been listened to and 
despised, as vastly inferior to the jingling 
notes of their own vile instruments ; and 
the Gothic cottage, with its painted trel- 
lises, its pictures, and its gay curtains, al- 
though pronounced entirely unsuited to 
Abyssinian habits, had been partially for- 
given on the grounds of its beauty. But 
this last innovation was beyond all under- 
standing; and many a stupid pate was 
racked in fruitless endeavors to extract 
consolation in so momentous a difficulty. 
The more liberal party were loud in their 
praises of the king and of his generous in- 
tentions ; and the royal gaze was with the 
rest strained wistfully toward the wicket, 
where he should behold once again the 
child of his mother, whom he had not seen 
since his accession, and should make the 
first acquaintance with his uncles, the bro- 
thers of his warrior sire, who had been incar- 
cerated ere he himself had seen the light. 

Stern traces had been left by the con- 
straint of one third of a century upon the 
seven unfortunate descendants of a royal 
race, who were shortly ushered into the 
court by the state jailer. Leaning heavi- 
ly on each other's shoulders, and linked 
together by chains bright and shining with 



338 



THE HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA. 



the friction of \ears, the captives shuffled 
onward with cramped and minute steps, 
rather as malefactors proceeding to the 
gallows-tree, than as innocent and abused 
princes, regaining the natural rights of 
man. Tottering to the foot of the throne, 
they fell as they had been instructed by 
their burly conductor, prostrate on their 
faces before their more fortunate but des- 
potic relative, whom they had known here- 
tofore only by a name used in connection 
with their own misfortunes, and whose 
voice was yet a stranger to their ears. 

Rising with difficulty at the bidding of 
the monarch, they remained standing in 
front of the balcony, gazing in stupid won- 
der at the novelties of the scene, with eyes 
unaccustomed to meet the broad glare of 
day. At first they were fixed upon the 
author of their weary captivity, and upon 
the white men by his side who had been 
the instruments of the termination — but 
the dull, leaden gaze soon wandered in 
search of other objects ; and the approach 
of freedom appeared to be received with 
the utmost apathy and indifference. Im- 
mured since earliest infancy, they were 
totally insensible to the blessings of liberty. 
Their feelings and their habits had become 
those of the fetter and of the dark dungeon. 
The iron had rusted into their very souls ; 
and, while they with difficulty maintained 
an erect position, pain and withering des- 
pondency were indelibly marked in every 
line of their vacant and care-furrowed fea- 
tures. 

In the damp vaults of Goncho, where 
heavy manacles on the wrists had been 
linked to the ankles of the prisoners by a 
chain so short as to admit only of a bent 
and stooping posture, the weary hours of 



the princes had for thirty long years been 
passed in the fabrication of harps and 
combs ; and of these relics of monotonous 
existence, elaborately carved in wood and 
ivory, a large offering was now timidly pre- 
sented to the king. The first glimpse of 
his wretched relatives had already dissi- 
pated a slight shade of mistrust which had 
hitherto clouded the royal brow. Nothing 
that might endanger the security of his 
reign could be traced in the crippled frames 
and blighted faculties of the seven misera- 
ble objects that cowered before him ; and, 
after directing their chains to be unriveted, 
he announced to all that they were free, and 
to pass the residue of their existence near 
his own person. Again the joke and the 
merry laugh passed quickly in the balcony 
— the court fool resumed his wonted avo- 
cations ; and, as the monarch himself struck 
the chords of the gaily-ornamented harp 
presented by his bloated brother Amnon, 
the buffoon burst into a high and deserved 
panegyric upon the royal mercy and gene- 
rosity. 

'■' My children," exclaimed his majesty, 
turning toward his foreign guests, after the 
completion of this tardy act of justice to 
those whose only crime was their consan- 
guinity to himself — an act to which he had 
been prompted less by superstition than by 
a desire to rescue his own offspring from a 
dungeon, and to secure a high place in the 
opinion of the civilized world — " My child- 
ren, you will write all that you have now 
seen to your country, and will say to the 
British queen that, although far behind the 
nations of the white men, from whom Ethi- 
opia first received her religion, there yet 
remains a spark of Christian love in the 
breast of the king of Shoa. 



THE END. 



APPENDIX. 



APPENDIX. 



NO. I. 



ROUTE FROM TAJURA TO ANKOBER. 



Names of Stations. 


Distance. 


Supply of 
Water. 


Elevation above 

tlio T .Atrial r»f* tltA 


Latitude and Longitude. 




Miles. 


Furlongs. 


L11C UCVC1 \jx UlC 

Sea. 




Tajura - 


- - 


- - 


Well. 


■ 


5 Lat. 11° 46' 35" N. 
1 Long. 43° 0' 20" E. 


Ambibo - 


3 


4 


Do. 






Dullool - 


7 


. 


Do. 






Sagallo - 


2 


4 


Do. 


- 


Lat. 11° 40' 15" N. 


Wareliss&n 


14 


. 


None. 


1697 




Bahr Assal 


16 


- " - 


Do. 


Below 570 


5 Lat. 11° 37' 30" N. 
\ Long. 42° 33' 6" E. 


Goongoonteh 


16 


m 


Stream. 






Allooli - 


9 


. 


Pool. 


228 




Bedikurroof 


16 


- 


Do. 






Suggad^ra 


8 


- 


Do. 


. 


Lat. 11° 19' 3" N. 


Murrah 


4 


m 


Well. 


. 


Lat. 11° 17' 3" N. 


Duddee 


15 


. 


Pool. 






Gobaad - * - 


12 


_ 


River. 


1057 i 


Lat. 11° 0' 54" N. 


Sunkul 


4 


m 


Pool. 






Suggagddan 


7 


m 


None. 


- 


Lat. 10° 53' 0" N. 


Daw&ylaka 


9 


4 


Pool.* 


1228 




Oomergooloof - 


8 


4 


None. 






Am&doo - 


7 


4 


Pool. 






Fialoo 


3 


4 


Do. 


1605 




Bartirudda 


15 


. 


None. 






Killulloo - 


12 


. 


Pool. 


1542 


Lat. 10° 34' 33" N. 


Waramilli 


7 


. 


Do. 


1752 




Naga-koomi 


15 


_ 


None. 






Meinha-tolli 


15 


. 


Pool. 






MadeYa-dubba - 


15 


4 


None. 






Sultelli - 


17 


_ 


Do. 






Maroo 


13 


_ 


Lake. 






Moolu-Zughir - 


13 


. 


None. 






Burdtidda 


9 


_ 


Pool. 






Hao 


15 


. 


None. 


. 


Lat. 9° 39' 13" N. 


H&wash River. 


11 


. 


River. 


2223 




Azboti 


12 


4 


Pool. 






Dathara - 


12 


4 


Stream. 


2944 




Dinomali - 


5 


. 


Do. 






Farri 


1 


4 


Do. 






Alio Amba 


13 


_ 


Do. 


5271 




Ankdber - 
Total distance - 


5 


- - 


Do. 


8200 


5 Lat. 9° 34' 45" N. 
1 Long. 39° 54' 0" E. 


370 





By the passage of the polar star over the meridian, the magnetic variation at Ank<5ber was 
observed, with the aid of a well-regulated chronometer, to be 7° westerly. 

The longitude was determined both by a series of lunars, and by the eclipses of Jupiter's 
satellites, the mean of upward of 150 observations having been taken. 



NO. II. 



REMARKS ON THE NATTTBtAL HISTORY OF THAT 
PORTION OF THE ADEL COUNTRY SITUATED 
ALONG THE ROUTE FROM THE SEA-COAST TO 
THE FRONTIER OF EFAT. 

From Tajura to Killulloo. 
The advanced state of the season was un- 
favorable for observations in the department of 
natural history. Both animal and vegetable 
life were apparently in a state of torpor ; the 
trees and shrubs were in general leafless ; and 
no annual plant whatever was to be seen, even 
in the immediate vicinity of the watering- 
places. The few insects that were not in a 
state of chrysolis, seemed drowsily to procras- 
tinate their existence until food for the new 
generation should be prepared by nature. Am- 
phibia, Saurii, and Ophidii, which are gene- 
rally not so dependent on a supply of water, 
existed in small numbers in their lurking-places, 
while birds and larger animals must at this 
season have migrated to more favored coun- 
tries. 

Basaltic and trachytic hills, either isolated or 
in chains, rise at a distance of about half a mile 
from the sea-shore, which is winding and shelv- 
ing. The hills are in general rounded, and 
marked by broad veins of similar composition, 
but containing more perfectly crystallized fel- 
spar, quartz, and zeolith. They have not the 
sharp peak, but are broken and cliffy, and have 
apparently been upheaved at different periods. 
On leaving the shore, a most striking speci- 
men of columnar basalt presented itself in the 
ravine of Galeylafeo, which, for nearly half a 
mile, runs through the heart of a huge moun- 
tain. In width it is about 200 yards, and the 
perpendicular pillars are 200 feet in height. It 
is evident that water could not have been the 
sole agent in producing such a huge cleft, al- 
though at present the ravine presents the ap- 
pearance of a regular watercourse. The 
surrounding hills consist of the same rock, but 
covered with loose boulders, which are much 
stained with oxide of iron. 

Among the confusion of volcanic masses on 
the plain of Warelissan, excepting in some rare 
cases, when the true lava stream could be traced 
to its source, it was difficult to determine the 
exact site of the craters from whence they had 
been ejected. The hill which separates Bahr 
Assal from the sea, with its singular tops of 



limestone, slate, and creta, deserves a more 
minute examination than could be given at this 
season of withering heat. The western side is 
the most interesting, as being more open and 
disclosed ; there is, however, as in all forma- 
tions in the vicinity of volcanic countries, no 
uniform inclination of the layers. The range 
bordering the eastern shore of the lake is basalt 
and basaltic wacke ; on the western, it is partly 
gypsum and limestone, but resting on basalt 

The great salt lake is a deep extensive basin, 
separated by an immense lava stream from the 
remainder of the bay, the head of which it once 
formed. Resembling the Dead Sea in the de- 
pression of its level, in the density and chemical 
constitution of the fluid, and in the loneliness, 
sterility, and desolation of its borders, it yet 
differs from it materially in the ways by which 
volcanie action has produced the strange phe- 
nomenon of the existence of shores so conside- 
rably below the level of the ocean. In the 
Dead Sea, the lake of Tiberias, and the valleys 
of the Jordan between them, it has apparently 
been a distortion and crushing of immense 
masses which have subsided into subterranean 
caverns. In the B&hr Assal it has been pro- 
duced by the erection of a new bank, serving 
as a dam or barrier across the head of a long 
narrow bay, by which a considerable body of 
sea- water was separated from the former com- 
mon receptacle. As high as the level of the 
Arabian Gulf are to be found, in the basin of 
Bahr Assal, the salts and earthy (magnesian) 
precipitates of the salt-water, which in the 
course of time was reduced to its proper level 
by evaporation, the yearly supply of rain-water 
being but as a drop to the ocean. Huge heaps 
of lava, having been apparently in strife with 
the opposite element, are erected on the banks 
over wacke, or in other cases over a finely- 
grained soft marl. The latter, when clear of 
lava, presents a thin layer of gypsum, with 
numerous shells of Melania, Limnaeus, Physa, 
Planorbis, Cyclostoma, Unio, and C yeas, some 
of which are at present to be found in the dis- 
tant fresh-water pools and rivulets. 

The shallow water on the borders of the lake 
presents natural salt-pans, and a crust of fine 
salt, two inches thick and tolerably clean, covers 
nearly the whole of the surface. The supply 
would seem to be inexhaustible ; for when cut 
out with a spaddle, a new crust is soon fur- 



APPENDIX. 



343 



nished from the waters beneath. Being visited 
by almost every tribe of the Adaiel and So- 
mauli, and unhappily situated on the borders 
of the most lawless and savage of them, this re- 
markable spot is almost forbidden ground for the 
observer, not to speak of the obstacles thrown 
in the way by the destructive temperature and 
the general absence of the necessaries of life. 

In the ravine of Goongoonteh, and during 
the continuation of the journey as far as Kil- 
lulloo, slight variations of trap formation were 
met with. The wacke is of a fine grain, and 
its constituents are indistinctly mingled ; it is 
traversed by empty holes and bubbles, and oc- 
casionally by druses of zeolith. Coarse quartz, 
sandstone, and conglomerates are sometimes 
found toward the surface. The country must 
have frequently been agitated by violent earth- 
quakes, detaching huge masses of rocks from 
the hills ; and, bereft^ alike of vegetation and 
animal life, it presents altogether a most mo- 
notonous appearance. 

The lower classes of animals, of ephemeral 
existence, are found on every living or vegeta- 
ting body. 

Of Coleoptera were observed : two species 
of Pimelia (longipes,) one of Cetonia.of Copris 
(Isidis,) of Erodius (gibbus,) several Staphylini 
and one Gyrinus. 

Of Orthoptera : Locusts, Blattidae, Mantidae, 
Truxalidae. 

Of Hymenoptera : several bees, especially 
at Killulloo, one of which, marked with light 
brown segments on the abdomen, and bearing 
a long sting, was exceedingly annoying. 

Of Piezata : many different ants. 

Of Diptera and Hemiptera : several species. 

Of Lepidoptera : two species of Papilio and 
several of moths ; and it was a matter of great 
wonder whence these butterflies obtained food 
in a country where even one flower could not 
be discovered. 

Of Myriapoda : one lulus, and several Sco- 
lopendra. 

Arachnida were in great numbers: My- 
gale, Epeira, Lycosa, and one small Androc- 
tenus. 

Of Crustacea : near the sea-shore a Pagurus 
existed in astonishing numbers, and in the 
sweet waters a Daphnis. 

Vertebrates were still scarcer ; and the 

Reptilia had their representatives in the 
three orders Saurii, Ophidii, and Batrachii. A 
small lizard, very agile, existed under stones ; 
also serpents, Vipera and Coluber, and in moist 
places Bufo and Rana. 

Among the Birds — 

Of Rapaces : Percnopterus and Falco are 
numerous. 

Of Gallinacea : Numida meleagris, and 
various partridges. 

Of Cursorii : Struthio-camelus and Otis. 

Of CiconidcB : Ciconia Marabu. 

Of Cantores : Corvus, Loxia, Sylvia, Vidua. 

Of Mammalia, three species of Antelope, 
one of Hyrax, one of Equus (Onager,) one of 



Sus (Phacochserus ;) and fresh holes in the sand 
indicated the presence of animals most proba- 
bly of the order Rodentia. 

The sheep of the country are the Hejaz lamb 
(Ovis arieslaticaudata ;) white body and black 
head and neck, covered with hair, and having 
thick, short, fat tails ; male without horns. 
The goats and cattle are generally small in 
stature, of all colors, and surmounted with very 
large horns. The shepherd dogs are small, 
and spotted with yellow and white ; they have 
long pointed sculls like the fox. 

With regard to the flora of this part of the 
country, the small quantity found in flower, be- 
longs, with few exceptions, to the family of the 
Leguminosa, among which the order of Mimo- 
sea is the most extensive both in species and 
specimens ; they are however all stunted and 
shrubby, and seldom attain any size. Still the 
only fuel and shade found during the journey, was 
supplied by this tribe. There exist also seve- 
ral Capparidt(R ; Cadaba, Scdada, Capparis. 
Cadaba rotundifolia is the most common. 

The Asclepiade<2 are represented in the Sta. 
pelia pulvinata, which however was seldom 
found in blossom, and in the Pergularia tomen- 
tosa, with stately flowers and capsules. 

The Malvacea existed in Ruitzia and Abu- 
tilon ; and the other families found by the 
wayside, Moringeee, Rutaceae, Tamariscineac, 
Chenopodeae, Amaranthaceae, Cruciferae, pre- 
sented only solitary specimens. 

Of the Euphorbiacece there were but three ; 
and of the Palm tribe there only appeared to 
be two species, the Phoenix dactylifera and Hy. 
phaene cucifera, both of which gradually dis- 
appeared as the soil improved. 

Nature has scattered the necessaries of ex- 
istence with a niggard hand over these desert 
plains, and the supply of water is indeed scanty. 
In such a hot climate those pools which are not 
fed by running streams, soon become adulte- 
rated by the decomposition of organic and in- 
organic matter. The wacke cannot resist any 
long exposure, and thence the water imbibes 
oxide of iron and muriate of soda, discovered 
in the pools of Goongoonteh, Allooli, and Bedi 
Kuroof; and again the numerous flocks and 
cattle of the caravans which are driven into 
the pools taint and corrupt the liquid in a still 
more offensive manner. The fetid smell and 
taste of the waters of Duwaylaka, Amadoo, 
Fialoo, and Killulloo, is indeed so oppressive, 
as to be subdued only by a considerable quan- 
tity of spirit ; and moreover the deposited mud, 
when stirred up, emits a volume of sulphuretted 
hydrogen. During the wet season, all the lower 
parts of the country are said to be exceedingly 
unhealthy, violent storms and incessant rain in 
the plains and wadies forcing the inhabitants 
to retreat to the mountains. 

From Killulloo to the foot of the Abyssinian 
Mountains. 

The desert of the Adaiel, spreading from the 
sea to the foot of the Shoan Alps, is not alto- 



344 



APPENDIX. 



gether a plain, as it has been most likely in 
remote ages, numerous wadies, with banks 
more or less high, now intersecting the greater 
part of it. These banks rise in some instances 
to hills of firm rock, generally wacke. They 
however consist of but lightly cemented con- 
glomerates, or loose boulders. Toward the 
middle, as the ground rises, distinct volcanoes 
make their appearance, sometimes scattered 
and solitary, with indistinct cones and craters, 
completely covered with volcanic cinders, and 
sending off sheets of lava in all directions ; or 
in whole clusters, with cones and craters com- 
plete, connected with each other, and environed 
by belts of their products. The extensive plain 
of Eyroluf is a solid level of a dark, black, un- 
decayed lava. 

The tract of land between Killulloo and 
Dathara especially has been visited and over- 
whelmed by the action from below, which, 
having reversed the original disposition, has 
covered the surface with the effects of its vio- 
lence. There is little to be seen of the under 
parts, although here and there some of the later 
formation, the residuum of the calcareous wa- 
ters, has spread like a thin coat over the low 
grounds ; but violent commotions have again 
and again altered and destroyed the first ap- 
pearance, and it is now difficult to determine 
the centre pool from whence the fiery stream 
issued. In the absence of a main volcano and 
a main volcanic range, it may be concluded 
that, similar to some violent eruptions in South 
America, large mountains have been thrown 
up in the midst of former extensive plains, the 
fluid and half-fluid matter having burst forth 
wherever they were nearest to the surface. 

Small extinct volcanoes were found on the 
plains of Sultelli and Eyroluf. The road passes 
close to the isolated cone of one of these, called 
Jebel Helmund. The walls are straight and 
black, covered with several smaller cones of 
ashes ; the hill itself is about four hundred feet 
in height ; the crater is on the eastern side, a 
little below the top ; and the sides, which are 
steep and sloping, are clothed With shrubs to- 
ward the base. 

On the road to Maroo stands a similar vol- 
cano ; but the influence of these craters does 
not seem to have extended far beyond the im- 
mediate neighborhood, although there is a con- 
nection between the whole cluster on the plain 
of Mittur, which may be seen in the small lava 
streams and debris of volcanic product on the 
adjoining plains of Sultelli and Eyroluf. It is 
not, however, apparent that they alone have 
formed the present state of the surface, as the 
south-eastern side of the plains is terminated 
by a much older formation of wacke. 

Between Meinha-tolli and Madera-dubba, 
obsidian, pumice, clinkstone, and fresh-water 
limestone containing shells of Melania, were 
strewed about. Excellent soil is found in all 
these situations, the low grounds being over- 
flowed at some seasons, and, as in all volcanic 
countries, producing much vegetation. The 



extensive plains of Moolu and Burdudda are 
thickly covered with grass, and intersected by 
small brooks and pools, terminating toward the 
Hawash in very broken, hilly ground, and the 
large plain on the eastern bank of the river 
bears every sign of being annually deluged. 

The country of the Adaiel is throughout very 
sparingly watered. During spring and autumn 
the hills collect sufficient rain-water for nume- 
rous rivulets, which after a course of scarcely 
one mile are absorbed by the sands, and dry 
up altogether by the end of the rains, while 
the deep hollows and clefts in the firmer rock 
preserve small quantities for the dry months 
of the year. The Hawash itself, althpugh re- 
ceiving all the rivers of Efat, and of the east- 
ern declivity of the Shoan mountains, does not 
reach the sea. The banks, thickly overgrown, 
are about thirty feet in height, and very abrupt. 
Its fall is scarcely perceptible, yet the rush of 
the water is very considerable. 

On the western bank, volcanic hills and 
sheets of water again appear, the latter being 
situated lower than the bed of the stream. 
One of these, impregnated with alkali, is evi- 
dently an old crater filled up, and supplied by 
a hot mineral spring. The water is much es- 
teemed for washing clothes ; it possesses a 
hydrothionic smell and a bitter taste, resem- 
bling that of the salt of magnesia ; but the bor- 
ders are verdant, and a species of Cyperus 
grows luxuriantly in the water. 

This portion of the country, though still spa- 
ringly supplied with the means of subsistence, 
is more favorable for specimens of zoology than 
the burning tract between Tajura and Killulloo. 

Of Beetles the family Coprophaga had many 
representatives : Scarabaeus, Copris, Ateuchus, 
Onitis, Aphodius, Trox ; Melolontha ; four spe- 
cies of Cetonia (on the Aloe ;) one Silpha, 
Hister, Abax, Graphipterus, Anthia, Staphyli- 
nus, Elater, Cantharis, Erodius, Moluris, Pime- 
lia, Mylabris, Chrysomela. 

Of Orthoptera, large flights of Gryllus mi- 
gratorius were observed near Azboti. Acry- 
dium and Gryllotalpa very common throughout. 
Also many Neuroptera, and termite cones stud- 
ding the face of the country. 

Of Acephala only one, Unio, was found 
near the Hawash. 

A few frogs were seen in the waters, but no 
fish; and although lizards abounded on the 
land, there were no serpents. One large-sized 
tortoise was picked up. 

Birds of all descriptions inhabit the plains 
and enliven the scanty woods ; the ostrich, Oris 
arabs, the partridge, ducks, adjutant, Chara- 
drius.spinosus, Psittacus, Lamprornis, Tanagra 
erythrorhyncha, Pyrrhocorax. Of beasts, the 
giant in creation, the elephant, and his rival in 
hugeness, the hippopotamus, abound in the plain 
of the Hawash ; and rapacious animals, the 
lion, the leopard, and the hyaena, prowling 
about the camp during the night, render indis- 
pensable the protection of a stout thorn fence, 



APPENDIX. 



345 



Of the order Rodentia the porcupine is com- 
mon ; also a variety of rats. 

Of Ruminantia : a few antelopes. 

Of Fissungula : Hyrax. 

Of Setigera : Phacocha?rus abyssinicus ; and 

Of Lemurcs : Galago. 

The flora, so dependent upon the nature of 
the ground, offers little variety throughout this 
tract, although a few new plants were found in 
the favored plain of Sultelli. Four Co7npositce 
(one Santolina,) three Leguminosa (one Cas- 
sia, resembling Senna,) one Euphorbia (rotun- 
difolia,) one Solatium, one Cucurbitacea (O- 
cumis africanus,) one Crucifcra (Farp-itia 
linearis,) three Malvacea. (Hibiscus urens, Al- 
thaea spec.,) one Tiliacea- (Grewia sjvc.,) one 
Cistinea (Helianthemum spec.,) one Acan- 
thacea (Acanthus carduifolius,) four Gramincce, 
one Cyperacea. 

There were, however, no large timber-trees, 
though edible berries of a sub-acid taste were 



supplied from a Helianthemum and a Grewia. 
Between Waiamilli and Naga Koomi the 
shrubs of the Balsaiaodendron myrrha were 
first discovered, am these continued as far as 
the Hawash. Grass too is met with on the 
wide plains. Large camel-thorn acacias, and 
a strange tree of the family Capparidea, at in- 
tervals interrupt the uniform desert waste ; but 
even the luxuriant vegetation which prevails 
on the banks of the Hawash contains little be- 
sides the Tamarix africana. 

A high jungle of Acacia extends near the 
plain of Azboti, supplying an abundance of 
sweet gum arabic, and the last stage to Datha- 
ra is encumbered with the Aloe soccotrina. 
There are also many line forest-trees in the 
valley of Kokai, among which the Tamarindus 
indica stands conspicuous : but no cultivation 
whatsoever is to be seen during the entire pro- 
gress of upward of three hundred miles from 
the sea-coast to the green hills of Abyssinia. 



NO. III. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE FRANKINCENSE-TREE, AS 
FOUND NEAR CAPE GUARDUFOI, ON THE SO- 
MAULI COAST, BY CAPTAIN G. B. KEMPTHORNE, 
INDIAN NAVY, COMMANDING THE HON. COM- 
PANY'S SLOOP-OF-WAR " ^LIVE." ' 

At Bunder Cassim, about one hundred miles 
to the eastward of Berbera, the mountains 
come close down to the coast. There is a pass 
and road over them, and a few hours' walking 
will, it is said, lead to a fine climate, and to a 
beautifully fertile country, abounding in the 
elephant, the rhinoceros, and the lion, and 
thickly populated by pastoral tribes. Several 
rivers take their sources in the high land, and, 
flowing to the southward and eastward, fall 
into the Indian Ocean, 4° or 5° north of the 
equator. 

The chief town of the Miggertheyn Somauli 
JB at Bunder Maiyah, which lies twenty miles 
S. W. of Ras Feeluk. The range is here 
about 5000 feet in altitude, and three miles 
from the shore. Ascending 1000 feet, a wide 
plain presents itself, bounded on every side by 
precipitous mountains studded with the frank- 
incense and gum acacia-trees, but looking bare 
and naked from the total absence of underwood. 

The frankincense assumes the most singular 
aspect, from the fact of its invariably growing 
from the bare and smooth sides of the white 
23 



marble rocks of which these hills are composed, 
without any soil whatever to nourish it. Many 
of the trees have even attached themselves to 
the huge masses that have rolled down into the 
valley, and now lie scattered over the stony 
surface. From the base of the trunk, and 
about treble its diameter, a very round thick 
substance is protruded, of a nature between 
bark and wood. This adheres most firmly to 
the stone, and at a distance resembles a mix- 
ture of mortar and lime. From the centre of 
the mas3 the stem, having first taken a bend or 
curve outward of several inches, rises straight 
up to a height of forty feet. It throws from 
the top short branches covered with a very 
bright green foliage, the leaves being narrow 
and rounded at the end, five or six inches in 
length by one broad, crimped like the frill of a 
shirt ; or rather bearing a stronger resemblance 
to that beautiful species of sea-weed found 
along the coast of England, and styled by urch- 
ins " the old gentleman's ruffles." 

From a foot to eighteen inches is the usual 
girth of the stem, and it tapers gradually away 
to the summit. The bark is perfectly smooth, 
and consists of four distinct layers. The outer- 
most of all is very thin, and similar to that of 
the beech. The two next are of a singularly 
fine texture, resembling oiled letter-paper, per- 
j fectly transparent, and of a beautiful amber 



346 



APPENDIX. 



color. It is used by the Somaulis to write 
upon. The inner bark of all is about an inch 
thick, of a dull-reddish hue, tough, and not un- 
like leather, but yielding a strong aromatic 
perfume. The wood is white and soft, and 
might be applied to many useful purposes. By 
making a deep incision into the inner rind, the 
gum exudes profusely, of the color and consis- 
tency of milk, but hardening into a mass by 
exposure to the atmosphere. 

The whole mountain range from Bundei 
Maryah to Cape Guardufoi is composed of lime- 
stone and marble, and near the latter place 
especially the marble is so white and pure that 
it approaches to alabaster. Pink and grayish 
black are also common colors, and in parts it 
might be mistaken for sandstone, until chipped 
off with the hammer. On the plain visited the 
frankincense is nowhere to be found resting 
upon the ground, or upon any- sort of soil, and 



the purer the marble to which it adheres the 
finer the growth of the tree. It would seem 
that this singular production of the vegetable 
world derives its sole nourishment from carbo- 
nate of lime. The young trees produce the 
best and most valuable gum, the older merely 
yielding a clear glutinous fluid resembling co- 
pal varnish, and exhaling a strong resinous 
odor. 

During the southwest monsoon the pastoral 
tribes in the neighborhood of Ras Feeluk col- 
let large quantities of frankincense, which 
they barter to the Banians, of whom a few re- 
side -At the villages along the Abyssinian coast. 
Boats from Maculla, and from other ports on 
the opposite Arabian shore, also come across 
during the fine season and carry away the 
gums that have been accumulated, and which 
are exchanged for a coarse kind of cotton cloth 
worn by the Somanli. 



NO. IV. 



ABSTRACT OF A THERMOMETRICAL REGISTER KEPT AT ANKOBER, THE 
CAPITAL OF SHOA, DURING THE YEARS 184i, 1842. 



Months. 


Means. 


Extremes. 


>> 
'3 

£Q 
S 

9 

n 




Winds. 


w 
I 

«i . 

E ° 

C <3 

a 


s 

> 

■a o 

S3 

T3 

C 
o 
S3 


E 

i 

M 

a 

IS 
a 

a 
© 


£ 

a 
S 
'.E 

S 

c 

a 


Difference o* Mean 

Temperature of 

successive Months. 


go 
S-r 

5 

16 


03 
> 

"5.2 

£ 

V 

8 


— 
e . 

1.1 
il 

V CS 

24 


~ 2 

* 3 

65 


2 £ 
41 


Direction. 


Force. 


January, 1842 


52 


127 


583 


45-6 


0:2 


1 E. & E> S. E. 


Light. 


February - 


546 


105 


598 


49-3 


2-6 


18 


4 


20 


66 


46 


7. 


E., S. E., E. S. E. 


Light 


March - - 


572 


115 


629 


515 


2-6 


16 


6 


23 


69 


4b 


4 


E. 


Light. 


April - - 


552 


7-7 


59 


513 


2-0 


11 


2 


16 


62 


46 


14 


E. 


Strong. 


May - 


59-7 


93 


643 


551 


4-5 


13 


5 


16 


67 


51 


■ 4 


E. 


Occy. Strong. 


June 


621 


7-9 


662 


58 


2-4 


17 


5 


17 


69 


52 


8 


E. 


Occy. Strong. 


July 


58-1 


91 


627 


536 


40 


13 


6 


18 


69 


51 


28 


Variable. 


Moderate. 


August, 184J 


55 8 


97 


607 


50 


23 


13 


7 


16 


63 


47 


26 


Variable. 


Moderate. 


September 


553 


92 


60 


50-6 


0-5 


14 


5 


17 


63 


46 


13 


N. & E. 


Strong. 


October 


521 


105 


576 


46-hJ 


32 


13 


5 


18 


62 


44 


4 


N. N. E., E. 


Strong. 


November 


519 


11 6 


577 


46-1 


0-2 


16 


6 


17 


60 


43 


4 


N. N. E., E. 


Strong. 


December 


51-8 


136 


586 


45 


0-1 


19 


10 


20 


61 


41 





E. 


Light. 


Annual Means 
















. and Extremes. 


55-5 


10-3 


607 


50-2 


205 


19 


2 


24 


69 


41 


112 




i 



Remarks. — These observations were made with horizontal, self-registering thermometers, 
sheltered from the rays of the sun, but freely exposed to the external air. 

The greatest difference between the mean temperature of the coldest month (December) and 
the hottest, (June) was only 10° ; while the greatest range during the whole year, between the 
extreme minimum, 41°, and maximum, 69°, amounted: only to 28° s ; the mean- annual tem- 
perature having been 55 £ in latitude 9 a 35' north. 



APPENDIX. 



347 



NO. V 



REMARKS ON THE GEOLOGY, BOTANY, AND ZOOL- 
OGY OF THE HIGHLANDS OF SOUTHERN ABYS- 
SINIA. 

GEOLOGY. 

When the portion of Northeastern Africa 
that is to form the province of inquiry received 
its present configuration, the fountains of the 
deep may be supposed to have opened at once 
upon a surface, of which the prior quality and 
condition has become so shut out from human 
observation, that analogies, drawn from other 
countries under similar circumstances, must 
supply this deficiency. 

Porphyry forms the almost immediate basis 
of ail the different volcanic formations discerni- 
ble. From the pinnacle of Jebel Goodah, on 
the Gulf of Arabia, it may be traced, though 
indistinctly, in the minor outrunners of the 
Abyssinian Alps, to the province of Efat, where 
it passes under rod sandstone. 'Die principal 
Shoan range, and the high westerly plateau 
toward the valley of the Nile, present solely 
secondary formations, but the porphyry again 
emerges on the southerly borders in the ranges 
of Garra Gorphoo and Bulga ; while the left 
bank of the Hawash valley is distinctly of primi- 
tive crystalline formation. 

The overlying, rocks, which seem to have 
been poured from the centre of this tract, con- 
sist of masses of traciiyte and columnar basalt, 
of pyramids of yvacke, and beds of lava and 
tufwacke, with strata of conglomerates and 
sandstones. The former of these, the trachyte 
and basalt, belong to the lofty mountains of 
Abyssinia ; whereas wacke, lava, tuffo, and 
scoriae, cover the surface, and form the hills of 
the desert below ; and many districts present 
volcanoes which, not half a century ago, were 
in violent activity. 

The hills of Mentshar, Efat, and Giddem, 
are detached ranges, nearly parallel to the 
Shoan alps, and forming as it were their base. 
Disclosing in some few spots the nature of their 
interior, it appears that immediately over the 
porphyry lies a red sandstone, embedding vast 
quantities of coal, and presenting a true strati- 
fication. It consists of minute but quite per- 
fect hexagon dodecaeders of quartz in a white 
cement, is very soft, and cleaves sometimes in 
regular squares. Its depth was not observed 
to be very great, nor did the overlying forma- 
23* 



tions, a marl and conglomerates, seem to form 
obstacles to the miner. 

The Shoan mountains, of alpine height, ex- 
hibit a structure of basalt, wacke, and trachyte ; 
the latter, in all its varieties, surrounds a nu- 
cleus of basalt, basaltic wacke, and dolerite. 
The conglomerates and tuffos at their feet, and 
partly on their terraces and tops, are of tra- 
chytic nature, and sometimes pierced through 
by small dikes of basalt. Veins of ochre and 
clay, holes filled with scoria;, with intrusions 
of larger or smaller fragments of various rocks 
and minerals, and a kind of stratification, are 
the principal features of this trachytic form- 
ation. 

When the action began, craters or clefts were 
formed in the then existing crust of trap-rocks. 
The lava of olden times, the trachyte, was 
thrown out and settled above the former ; coe- 
val to it, or a little later, the tuffos and con- 
glomerates were deposited, which prove the 
importance of augite in their formation by nu- 
merous crystals of pyroxen embedded in them. 
Subsequently new basaltic eruptions either rais- 
ed these deposits to their present height, or 
pierced them through in dikes in their original 
sites, both cases occurring on the same locality. 

The basalt composing the hills about Ankd- 
ber presents no vestige of olivin, nor does it 
influence the magnetic needle ; but a distinc- 
tion between basalt and green stone in their 
finer-grained varieties is difficult ; and to de- 
termine in words the affinity which they bear 
to each other in the present instance, the rock 
might be styled basaltic greenstone. Columns, 
pentagonal or heptagonal, crown the tops of 
hills, and seem rather a composition of horn- 
blende than of augite and feldspar. Scoria- 
cious varieties are found on the outsides of the 
later protruded massrs. 

The trachyte is generally a compact mass 
of grey feldstein, which contains crystals of 
glassy feldspar, irregularly embedded, and in 
different quantities. Some varieties are po- 
rous, some full of small holes, others black from 
grains of obsidian ; and a few, especially near 
the dikes, incline to phonolith. 

To the westward the ridge terminates in a 
high plateau, the western Galla provinces of the 
kingdom. Scarcely lower than the main tract 
of its eastern precipice, this vast plain is crossed 
in various directions by bill ranges, the greater 



348 



APPENDIX. 



part of which do not rise to any considerable 
height. Here true basalt is disclosed in all the 
grandeur of its columnar clevage, but no other 
species of rock. Deep and narrow ravines 
carry off the superabundant waters, and pits of 
tolerable ironstone afford a supply of metal for 
the manufacture of weapons. 

The chief bearing of the mountain chains in 
Shoa is north and south, with spurs to the west 
and east. The towering height to which they 
rise, in a nearly uninterrupted ascent, may be i 
calculated to be from eight to nine thousand , 
feet above the level of the sea, and their single . 
pinnacles far exceed that limit. They are 
most abrupt, and difficult of access, excepting I 
by the only two passes to the high western pla- } 
teau. Ravines and chasms of a depth which j 
admits the sun but for few hours, tell of the ca- 
tastrophe which resulted in their formation. | 
Inaccessible steep cliffs and dismal precipices j 
everywhere line the tiresome footpath of the .' 
lonely muleteer. 

The hills of Efat present more rounded forms ; 
the slopes, not bare of soil, allow a footing for 
cultivation ; and their tops, in the shape of 
platforms, afford the most eligible positions for 
the abode of the Abyssinian farmer. During 
the rainy season, all the many rivers which at 
other times carry only sufficient water for the 
purposes of the cultivator, not only fill their 
deeply excavated beds, but overflowing and 
inundating all the lower parts of the hills, would 
sweep off any of the fragile Abyssinian build- 
ings within reach ; but the soil, when saturated 
with humidity, becomes so heavy and compact 
as to be not easily washed away. The im- 
petuosity of the mountain torrent undermines 
the fast-decomposing rock, and frequently 
brings down large boulders and loose stones, 
which, dashing against the sides of the ravine, 
are in no small degree instrumental to its de- 
struction. 

Not less important are the changes going on 
in the high range, since the time of their form- 
ation. Ice is of so uncommon occurrence, that 
we can scarcely attribute to it any considerable 
cooperation ; but the action of water is mate- 
rially assisted by occasional earthquakes. Grad- 
ual decomposition and decay has produced on 
the base, and produces still, conglomerates of 
various thickness and extent. The high pla- 
teau enjoys a thick coat of fertile black soil. 
Lakes, pools, morasses, and swamps, are fre- 
quent ; the rivers of little fall have muddy and 
miry beds, which on that account become un- 
fordable during the rains. 

A few hot mineral wells are known and 
made use of in Efat and Giddem. Precious 
metals and precious stones have not yet been 
discovered ; but of useful mineral products, 
iron, sulphur, and coal are the principal. Iron 
ores are the riches of the high plateau, the oxy- 
hydrate being the best of them. Inclosed in 
the basalt, it comes to view only in the ravines, 
whence it is scraped out. From the western 
borders of the Adel country, and from the ex- 



,'tinct volcanoes of Mentshar, is derived the 
! small supply of native sulphur required : the 
I pits are described as exceedingly copious. 
I Coal-beds appear to extend along the whole 
of the eastern frontier of Shoa ; but the com- 
bustible nature of the fossil is scarely known 
in the country. Copper, tin, zinc, and salt, 
are all imported into Shoa ; the Adai'el posses- 
sing the last commodity in abundance. The 
Shoan clay proves a very indifferent material 
for the manufacture of earthen- ware. Excel- 
lent quarries could be worked, but the primitive 
fashion of the dwellings is independent of the 
use of stone. 

BOTANY. 

The provinces that compose the kingdom of 
Shoa enjoy not only political but natural and 
physical boundaries. From the luxuriant vege- 
tation, or the parched-up desert of a tropical 
clime, we suddenly ascend to regions where 
the blessings of fertility are more equably dif- 
fused, and which serve as granaries to the in- 
habitants of the lowlands. 

From the general nature of the rocks, it is 
obvious that the soil consists chiefly of decom- 
posed feldspar, which requires abundance of 
water. Dews, rains, and springs, however, so 
moisten the mountain side, that artificial irri- 
gation need be resorted to but on few localities. 
Along the foot of the hills, rude channels, dug 
out of the sandy or gravelly soil, conduct 
abundance of water to plantations at a distance 
from the river side ; and in these lower regions, 
periodical inundations supply the want of rain. 
It is an established fact, that cryptogamic 
plants of cellular construction are in different 
zones nearly the same. Under similar circum- 
stances, the same lichen covers the face of the 
rock in Europe as in the continents of the tor- 
rid zone, the same mould lines decaying mat- 
ter, and the same fungus cleaves to bark and 
root. But compared with the other orders of 
plants, the cellulars are most defective in num- 
bers throughout Abyssinia, the peculiarities of 
the climate being very unfavorable to their de- 
velopment. 

Every kind of parasitic plant is looked upon 
with a suspicious eye in Abyssinia ; and those 
of the vascular orders furnish to the conjuring 
practitioner his principal remedies. But the 
mushrooms, (Demastafi ,) the fungi and puff- 
balls, (Ya arrogie siet phis,) are believed to 
pollute the finger that touches them, and to be 
downright poison. Mould, of course, thrives 
exuberantly on every substance in so moist a 
climate as that of Shoa. The blight is but 
too well known ; the Boletus igniarius grows 
abundantly in the forests ; Parmelice and other 
lichens cover rocks, or depend fantastically 
from the withered branches of gigantic trees. 
Mosses, however, are very scarce, and only of 
fourlunds. 

The vascular acotyledonic plants, the ferns, 
might likewise be expected in greater variety 



APPENDIX. 



349 



among the Abyssinian weeds than is actually 
the case. The deep recesses of the few re- 
maining forests harbor some kinds which very 
closely resemble European forms, and belong 
to the genera Aspidium, Folypodium, Asple- 
nium, Adiantum, Scolopendrium, Ophioglos- 
sum, and Fteris. No tree is among them, 
nor are the Abyssinians aware of the useful 
'properties of the tribe. ■ Adianthum Capillus 
Veneris is called in Amharic "Sera boson" i. e. 
much work — finely wrought. 

Of the four orders into which the tribe of 
monocotyledonic plants is naturally subdivided, 
viz. the Grasses, the Lilies, the Orchides, and 
the Palms, the first undoubtedly deserves our 
principal attention, for it is by far the most nu- 
merous and important. The great elevation 
of the Abyssinian plains is so favorable for the 
cultivation of all Cerealia of the temperate zone, 
that they may rival the very best agricultural 
districts of Northern Europe, while the low 
country along the foot of the mountains pro- 
duces some kinds of tropical grain, and would 
fully answer for the cultivation of rice, which 
at present is unknown in the country. 

The Abyssinian husbandman takes great 
trouble in improving the cultivated sorts of 
grain by changing the seed-corn at every sea- 
son, and sometimes by sowing promiscuously 
different sorts to produce new varieties. Hence 
the astonishing number of distinguishable kinds 
of grain cultivated in a small compass of ground 
under certain established appellations, and 
brought into use for very different purposes. 
Within a circumference of five miles around 
Ankober are found, of juwarre, 28 varieties; 
of wheat, 24 ; of barley, 16 ; of rye, 2 ; of teff, 
4 ; of oats, 2 ; of maize, 2. Various kinds of 
bread and cakes are prepared from some of 
these ; malt for beer is chosen from others ; 
and the inferior kinds are given to slaves and 
cattle. 

The existing meadow-grasses answer so 
well, that an introduction of new species, or a 
regular culture, is not attempted. In times of 
great famine, the seeds of some of these grasses 
come into use as food. In the swamps and 
humid meadows, and in many rivulets, species 
of Cyperus and Scirpus are very frequent, some 
of which attain immense height, being used 
for thatching, or in the manufacture of baskets, 
mats, &c. Papyrus also grows in the low 
countries of Efat. 

The following species of grasses and grain 
are cultivated : Lorghum vulgare, {Mashila,) 
the Juwarree of India, and Durrha of Arabia, 
in many varieties, the principal of whieh are, 
a (Sengada) with red spreading spike, b ( Wo- 
gari) with yellow, compact, pendent spike. 
The young stalks contain a great deal of sac- 
charine, and are chewed : they attain, in good 
situations, the enormous height of eighteen feet. 
The produce of Efat and Giddem in this grain 
is chiefly exported to the countries of the Ada- 
lel ; but a small quantity comes to the Shoan 
marts for inferior kinds of beer, unleavened 



bread, and the food of mules. In Shoa itself, 
Mashila cannot be raised on account of the 
low temperature. 

Saccharum omcinarum, the sugar-cane, 
{Shonlcar,) is also planted to a small extent in 
the low country. The art of making sugar 
being unknown, it is only chewed ; and al- 
though considered a great luxury, and sent in 
token of friendship by the great, no particular 
care is bestowed upon improving its growth. 

Eleusine Tocussa, {Dagusa,) a minute grain, 
in quaternaire crosswise disposed spikes, is pro- 
duced on a low grass extensively cultivated 
in Northern Abyssinia ; and the emperor of 
Gondar is said to be forced by etiquette to eat 
cakes of it, to the exclusion of other farina- 
ceous food. 

Poa Abyssinica, (Teff.) This millet-like 
seed is a favorite with all Abyssinians, although 
the bread made of it is extremely unwholesome 
and insipid. Four varieties are found, two of 
a brown and two of a white kind. The latter 
has the preference ; and the finest, called Man- 
ya Teff, is grown only upon the king's fields, 
and can never be purchased by the subject. 
The straw of the Teff is regarded the best 
stable-fodder. 

Zea Maize {Mar Mashila, i. e. Honey-sweet 
Mashila,) is principally eaten when fresh and 
milky. A little roasted, it is a most acceptable 
offering to the visitor. Sixteen kinds of barley 
{Geps,) are raised on the hill-tops and on the 
high plateau of the Galla country, where nei- 
ther juwarree nor wheat will thrive. Its great- 
est consumption is in brewing, but mules and 
horses are also fed on it, and the finer sorts are 
eaten, {Mariam Sahr, Litch Alkuso, Sada- 
rash.) Barya Settat, i. e. " the slave's por- 
tion," as might be imagined, is not of first-rate 
quality. 

Secale cereale {Damash, Sanaf Kolo,) finds 
a limited consumption, mixed with other flour 
in bread. 

Triticum aestivum, hibernum, etc. 'Sendi.) 
Shoa can boast of twenty-four varieties of 
wheat. Many of these were originally culti- 
vated by the Galla, and subsequently intro- 
duced. The other provinces of Abyssinia have 
also furnished various kinds ; but the most es- 
teemed are indigenous, viz. Y'aboon ehel, Ya 
beri mangada, Ya gosh gumbar, i. e. " aboon's 
grain ;" " bullock's molar tooth ;" " buffaloes' 
forehead." Wheat is frequently eaten unground, 
in a mixture of parched grain, called Kolo, 
which is the only store carried by the Amhara 
warrior into the field. 

A vena spec. {Gherama,) is a small kind of 
oats sown on the poorest fields, in order that 
favorite mules and horses may crop it while yet 
green. In times of scarcity, the poor are com- 
pelled to resort to it. 

Bambusa arundinacea {Shemal.) The bam- 
boo is not indigenous in any part of the coun- 
try, but groves are planted on the king's grounds, 
in order to supply poles for the royal tents. 

The following are the grasses found in every 



350 



APPENDIX. 



pasture : Lolium temulentum (Enkerdad,) 
much dreaded as poison ; Chloris spec. (Ager- 
ma;) Andropogon distaehyum, (Gasha ;) An- 
thistiria spec. (Sambalet;) Sporobolus spec. 
( Ya teff sahr,) the seeds eaten as those of the 
teff; Poa brizoides (Ya Kiri sahr;) Kiri is a 
species of finch, which eats the small seeds ; 
Setaria spec. (Ya oosha Sendado.) 

The next order, that of the Lilies, is not so 
numerous as might be expected of Africa, but 
when a species does appear, it covers vast 
tracts with its lovely colors. None but the 
edible kinds of Allium are cultivated in Abys- 
sinia, ornamental gardens being quite unknown 
throughout the country. Some grow in swam, 
py meadows, especially those with bulbs more 
properly ranking as lilies : others with peren- i 
nial stem are found on dry waste places, such 
as the Asparagus and the Aloe. The whole 
year round the meads are graced by the lovely 
blossoms of two Commelineae, viz. Commelina 
africana, and Tradescantia spec. Both having 
small oval tubers, they are called Off angoon 
and Off gola, i.e. " bird's egg" (off, a bird ; an- 
goon and gola, or more commonly angola, an 
egg.) These tubers are eaten in times of fam- 
ine. One Ixia, a very beautiful kind, of the 
morasses around Angollala, springs up imme- 
diately after the termination of the rains. Hae- 
manthus coccineus, Amaryllis clavata, Gloriosa I 
spec, are rare plants of Efat ; Bulbocodium 
sped, is a very transient form observable a few 
days after the " rains of Bounty." Onions and 
garlic (Neitch Shongort) are favorite vegeta- 
bles ; various kinds of Aloe ( Ya jib shongort) 
adorn the wastes of Efat, and furnish good 
fibres for making ropes. Asparagus retrofrac- 
tus (Sareti,) and Asparagus ethiopicus (Kas- 
tanitcha,) are fructiferous and climbing shrubs : 
a green twig of the first stuck in the hair of the 
sinciput is a token of exultation after a suc- 
cessful encounter with an enemy or wild beast ; 
the wood of the second is of peculiar hardness, 
and splitting well serves the Amhara scribe as 
a pen. Lastly one Smilax (Ashkila) affords 
the stick in common use as a tooth-brush. 

That equally beautiful and important order, 
the OrchidetB, might be supposed to find its 
natural ground in Abyssinia, where both at- 
mosphere and soil are so favorable ; but ginger 
is still imported from Gurague : arrow-root 
and salep are unknown, and not a single kind 
of the respective genera is an inhabitant either 
of Shoa or Efat. The real Or ch idea of the 
forests, moreover, are few in number ; Epiden- 
drum capense, cleaving to the bark of the wild 
olive-tree, is the only representative of that in- 
teresting group, the Ejiidendreai. Of the plan- 
tain tribe three species have been introduced 
from the south, but apparently with little ad- 
vantage ; viz. Mooz, Musa paradisiaca, a coarse 
kind of plantain, which is reared on some few 
spots in Efat for the royal table, and two spe- 
cies of Urania called Ensete and Koba. These 
are planted in Shoa, for the sake of their leaves ; 
they seldom advance to flower and fruit, in 



consequence of the low temperature. The 
only visible difference between them is, that in 
the Koba the middle rib of the leaf is on the 
underside red, as also the stem ; while in the 
Ensete both are light green. Either of these 
trees, when suffered to grow, attains a height 
of twelve feet in the stem, exceeding by far 
that of the Mooz ; the leaves are equal in 
to those of the latter, and are only used tu 
bake bread upon. Their proper home is Gura- 
gue, the famous seat of so many botanical 
riches. Seed-capsules of the Koba brought 
from that country contain four or five angular 
nuts full of a mealy substance like the finest 
arrow-root, which is boiled and given to chil- 
dren to make them grow ; the base of the fruit 
is filled with a delicious pulp like that of the 
plantain. In Gurague the young shoots of the 
Ensete form a principal part of the diet, but 
they are despised by the Amhara, who are not 
at all addicted to vegetables. The fibres are 
used in the manufacture of ropes and mats, 
which form an important article of trade with 
Shoa. Ensete and Koba are hardier than the 
Mooz ; and towering above the inclosures of 
the lofty villages imparl an aspect not properly 
belonging to the landscape, and strangely con- 
trasting with many alpine associates. 

The Palms of the continents of the eastern 
world are, with very few exceptions, inhabi- 
tants of the sea-borders, and do not thrive at 
any considerable elevation or even distance in- 
land. The coast of the Adai'el is therefore the 
only locality where three species of this tribe, 
viz. Phcenix dactylifera, Hyphaene cucifera, and 
Borassus flabelliformis, appear ; but so scantily, 
that the date must be imported from Arabia. 
Baskets and mats are manufactured of the 
leaves of all, and some toddy is prepared of 
the Borassus especially. 

The preceding enumeration of acotyledonic 
and monocotyledonic plants is not sufficient to 
determine the systematic place due to the Abys 
sinian vegetation in general. The Dicotyle- 
dones, comprising two thirds of all the plants, 
will necessarily help to show, that although in- 
cluded within the tropics, the Flora of Shoa, 
and of some of the Galla provinces to the west, 
is, on the whole, subalpine. The avenues of 
approach to them from the eastward, evince in 
their scanty dress the influence of a tropical sun ; 
and between these two extremes, a happy and 
most fertile province intervenes, where, by the 
side of the hardy grain, cotton and coffee may 
be raised — where a tea-plant and many species, 
of indigo grow wild — and wdiere, in fact, a tem-| 
perate and a torrid clinic exchange their pro-l 
ducts as it were upon neutral ground. 

The Chlamydoblasta number but very few 
species in Abyssinia. One Nymph'aas only, on 
the lakes of Shoa, and one Aristolochia (brac- 
teata) of the Adaiel country, could be discov- 
ered. This latter, called Gerbaad, is a secret 
remedy with the Dan&kil against poisoned 
wounds, and in fact they are prone to attribute 
mysterious qualities to the most of their weeds. 



APPENDIX 



351 



Pepper is not found either in a wild or cultiva- 
ted state, although nothing would oppose the 
introduction of that favorite condiment, which 
at present, under the appellation of Gunda Ber- 
beri (Gunda, an ant ; Berberi, hot spice) is im- 
ported from Arabia and India. 

Of apetalous Gymnoblasts. some important 
species are to be recorded, since they form the 
chief pride of the forests. And justly begin- 
ning with the Coniferae, the fir (cedar,) which 
graces the Alps of Northern Abyssinia, is re- 
placed in Shoa by a gigantic juniper, Junipe- 
rus excelsa (Det.) This noble tree of the woods 
as well as of the churchyards attains in its life 
of one century a height of upward of one hun- 
dred and sixty leet, with four to five in diam- 
eter at the base. Growing nearly in the shape 
of a cypress, it thrown off continually the lower 
branches, which shoot out almost at a right 
angle from the stem, so that two-thirds of the 
same are void of green ; the top is always a 
pyramid, and generally scanty. The wood is 
very inferior, but splitting readily it supplies, in 
the absence of proper carpenter's tools, the 
chief timber used in the construction of huts 
and churches ; and it forms, besides, the com- 
mon fuel. Neither is any use made of the re- 
sin or berries ; but twigs lopped off" the melan- 
choly trees that overshadow the cemetery, are 
often strewn upon the corpse before the grave 
is rilled up. A yew tree, Taxus elongata, 
Sigba, also of the Shoan forests, keeps within 
more moderate dimensions ; sixty feet in height, 
and five in circumference, is the utmost. The 
tough wood, like that of the wild olive-tre^, 
furnishes the timber for works of art which are 
to last some time. To tarry beneath its shade, 
or to inhale the smoke of burning yew wood, is 
regarded as particularly noxious. 

The low temperature reigning in the Alps 
of Abyssinia does not prohibit the growth of a 
species of fig, which contrasts strangely enough 
with the tall juniper. The Shoala, a kind of 
Banyan tree, with large, oval, acute, serrated, 
and subcordate leaves, and racemes of fruits at- 
tached only to the stem and principal branches, 
measures frequently seven feet in diameter, with 
a height of forty feet, at an age of two-score 
years. Its roots are partly above ground ; but 
of secondary, or branch-roots, there is no ves- 
tige. Requiring no small space for expansion, 
it stands commonly on the outskirts of the for- 
ests, or quite alone, but its shade is extremely 
dense and unfavorable to other vegetation. 
The fruit, of the size of a pigeon's egg, brown 
and insipid, might be eaten by people in dis- 
tress. In the low country the Sycamore Fig- 
tree makes its appearance ; it is called Wot- 
ka, i. e. " the Golden," by the Amhara, and 
Woda by the Galla ; and has, with those of 
the latter nation, who are still in the bonds 
of idolatry, a sacred signification. Being plant- 
ed over the tombs of notable persons, conju- 
rors, or heroes, offerings are brought to it, 
and hung upon the branches at certain festi- 
tivals, when the neighboring tribes feast togeth- 



er upon that holy and neutral ground. The 
Worka stands always near running water, tow- 
ering far over the jungle, although the undivi- 
ded stem is scarcely ten feet high. The leaf 
has a yellow tomentum below : and the fruit 
forms a favorite food for monkeys and of vari- 
ous birds, but is not touched by man. 

The Kuaraf, Gunnera spec, another plant 
of the same family, of Artocarpeee, is an im- 
portant vegetable during the strict fast of Lent. 
It grows in swamps and rivulets, and is an an- 
nual low plant from a perennial root with large 
radical leaves and a leafless stalk, bearing the 
minute flowers on a bunchy raceme. The 
petioles, ribs of leaves, and stalks are eaten 
fresh when stripped of the epidermis ; and 
their taste is similar to that of the sorrel. The 
common stinging nettle (Sama) is by boiling 
also prepared into an indifferent food during 
the quadragesimal low diet. The troublesome 
weed grows everywhere, to a height of five feet. 

Of the many Polygonea, a few must be 
noticed on account of their frequent occurrence 
and of their use. Polygonum tomentosum (Ba 
Wahalay, i. e. " upon the water,") and Polyg- 
onum serratum, cover the margins of morasses 
and lakes. Polygonum frutescens (Umboatoo) 
is the most common hedge-shrub. Rumex ari- 
folius (Makmako,) frequent in swampy mea- 
dows, yields, in its fleshy root, a reddish dye 
for coloring butter. The root of another spe- 
cies of Rumex called Tutt, is believed to be a 
nostrum for barbarous and criminal purposes ; 
but, happily, it is quite innocent. Instead of 
these species, which all belong to the Flora of 
Shoa, there appear in the Adei country several 
Boerhaaviae. Introduced into Shoa is a kind 
of willow (AJieia,) much employed in the 
manufacture of saddles. 

The monopetalous Gymnoblasts, being a 
class next to the highest and most important, 
contain a large number of plants, of which the 
following are pointed out : Plantago capensis 
(Ya gura wosfi,) and Plantago aegyptiaca 
(Burrh,) both common weeds in Shoa ; Plum- 
bago capensis, with large white corolla, in 
Efat, and Scabiosa decurrens (Adai,) with 
snowy heads, in Shoa, are highly ornamental ; 
Echinops horridus, growing to the height of 
ten feet about Ang6llala ; Carthamus tincto- 
rius (Suf,) extensively cultivated in Efat for 
the oil of the seeds and for the dye yielded by 
the flowers ; Carduncellus spec. (Dorakus,) 
a decoction of the dried flower heads is ad- 
ministered in ague. Several twining species 
of Mikania adorn the forests of Shoa ; two 
fructiferous Cacaliae, full of a balsamic sap, 
and one Klenia, exhibit the brightest scarlet in 
the jungles of Efat. Pteroraa spinosa and 
Helichrysum vestitum are hardy shrubs found 
on the slopes. Species of Gnaphalium and 
Bidens are annoying weeds in the cotton fields. 
The numerous kinds of Radiatae contain only 
one of importance, vv:. the Polymnia abyssin- 
ica (Nug,) which is the chief oil plant. Suf 
and Nug oil mixed is called Kabanug, and 



352 



APPENDIX. 



only used for burning, since it possesses strong 
purging qualities. The family of the Composite 
furnishes altogether but a small number of 
useful plants in proportion to its extensiveness. 
The Campanulacea are low annual insig- 
nificant weeds, one Lobelia excepted, viz. the 
Rhynchopetalum montanurri or libera. This 
strange perennial plant, with the aspect of a 
palm-tree, grows chiefly in moist ravines 
among the high mountains, and is especially 
frequent about Ankober. The stem attains 
upward of fifteen feet in height, and five inch- 
es in diameter. The top carries a crown of 
large leaves ; and the spike is one foot and a 
half long. When the seeds are ripe, the 
plant dies suddenly. One Erica (Asta,) five 
feet in height, assists likewise to dispel the as- 
pect of a European Flora, which is conveyed 
by the Veronica Beccabunga and Anagallis of 
the meadow rivulets. Scrophularia frutescens 
{JDjodjo,) with a strong smell of camphor, is 
used as a febrifuge and charm ; two kinds of 
Orobanche are also among the conjurer's infal- 
lible medicines. Acanthus carduifolius is the 
choicest camel-fodder in the desert. Rare 
specimens of Hyperanthera Moringa, the same 
as in Arabia, stand near the pools of the low 
country ; a gum, becoming instantly red in 
the air, flows freely out of any bruise, but is 
applied to no use. Mint, thyme, and other 
plants of the family Labiatte, so replete with 
etheric oils, do not enjoy the reputation due 
to them. Of the many kinds only three have 
names and adhibition, viz. Origanum spec. 
(Kassi,) and Ziziphora spec. (Lomi shett, i. e. 
" lime-smell,") which are used in the fomenta- 
tion of boils ; Leonotis spec. (Ras Kimr,) as 
anthelminthicum by a decoction of the dried 
leaves, mixed with a little oil. Several Cgnvol- 
vulacece and Boraginea pass disregarded. Of 
the former, Convolvulus pes caprae binds the 
sand of the sea-beach ; of the latter, a few 
specimens of Cordia abyssinica ( Wanzey) grow 
in Efat. 

Capsicum frutescens (Geich Berber i, i. e. 
"1 - ed pepper,'') the most important of hot spices 
in warm climes, and Nicotiana Tabacum 
(Tombako,) also an indispensable commodity 
to many of the Moslem population, are objects 
of diligent cultivation in the lower country; 
yet the only tolerable tobacco must be import- 
ed from the Ittoo Galla. Solanum margina- 
tum ( Umboi.) a shrub, the seeds of which are 
strewed on the surface of ponds to stupefy the 
fish, which are nevertheless still eatable, and 
Atropa arborea, (Amoraroo,) the red juice of 
whose berry is used by the Amhara women 
to stain their palms and nails, are common 
hedge-shrubs in Shoa. Of the narcotic qual- 
ities of the Datura Stramonium (Atafaris,) 
the Abyssinian sorcerer is well aware. The 
thief-detector makes a youth smoke the dried 
leaves of it in order to cause stupefaction, 
and thus promote the semblance of powers of 
divination. Neither the potatoe nor any other 
edible kind of Solanum has yet been intro- 
duced into Shoa. 



The families of Coniortcr., Rubiacece, Ligus- 
trince, have many representatives in the low 
country. Stapelia pulvinata and Calotropis 
gigantea are the most prominent : the former 
has a fleshy, quadrangular, and four-winged 
stem of two feet height, and when in flower 
is scarcely approachable ; the latter, furnishes 
good charcoal for gunpowder. Kannahia land- 
flora, with particularly sweet-smelling flow- 
ers, lines the borders at the rivulets in Eiat ; 
Carissa spec. (Agame) has edible berries, and 
flourishes both in Efat and Shoa. MeUnea 
verticillata (Adguar) is a jungle tree of tan 
feet height, with purging berries. Psychotria 
spec. (Doda Gula,) is a shrub found in Shoa ; 
Coffea arabica (Boon) grows wild in many of 
the warmer provinces, but is diligently pluck- 
ed out by the Christian population, who con- 
sider the use of the berry to be as foreign to 
salvation as the doctrine of the false prophet. 
Where his followers abide in greater numbers, 
or uncontrolled, as in Giddem and in the 
countries of the Ittoo and Aroosi Galla, the 
coffee-tree grows unmolested, no care, how- 
ever, being taken of it ; but its proper home 
seems to lie far to the west and south, in the 
kingdoms of Caffa and Enarea, where a don- 
key's load is sold for the twentieth part of a 
dollar. Two kinds of jessamine grace with 
their fragrant flowers the hedges and groves. 
Olea spec. (Woira) is, with the juniper and 
yew, the principal forest tree of Shoa ; sixty 
to eighty feet in height and four in diameter, 
are its common dimensions. The wood of 
the wild olive-tree affords excellent fuel and 
timber ; but no use is made of the fruit, which 
attains the size of a large pea. 

Among the polypetalous Gymnoblasts, in 
which vegetation has attained the highest 
degree of perfection with respect to variety 
of shape and color, as well as medical and 
nutritious qualities, we find several important 
families altogether wanting in the Flora of 
! Abyssinia. The Pomaceae and Amygdales 
are absent, and the existing scarcity of fruit- 
trees, whether wild or cultivated, is indeed 
most apparent. Others of more limited utility 
are very numerous, as the Tricoccae, Rhoca- 
dese, Amarantinae ; but the Leguminosae form 
by far the largest family of polypetalous phan- 
erogames. 

Of Umbelliferce there exists in the low 

country one Ferula, a small tree of unknown 

properties. In Shoa there are several Caucalis 

(Karambashu,) growing on pasture grounds, 

and poisonous to cattle. Coriandrum sativum 

(Bumbelan,) and Anethum fceniculum, the 

well-known European spices, are cultivated. 

Berberis tinctoria of the forest yields a good 

yellow dye for mourning apparel. Clypea 

i spec. (Engotshid,) is a creeper with pellate 

I leaves, upon which small cakes are baked. 

Ranunculus trilobus (Goodie,) is a troublesome 

weed on the meadows. Nigella sativa (As- 

mud,) is occasionally cultivated as a spice. 

| Several species of Polygala flourish unnoticed. 



APPENDIX. 



353 



Some Balsimiena grow in shady places ; one 
of them Impatiens grandis (Girshid,) has a 
tuberous root, with the juice of which women 
paint their palms and faces red. Thlaspi 
bursa pastoris (Fa bug elat, i. e. "sheep's 
tail,") the cosmopolitan weed, follows agricul- 
ture also in Abyssinia. Sinapis nigra (Sana- 
fitch,) grows wild, and is sometimes resorted 
to as an additional ingredient of the pepper- 
sauce called wotz. Brassica spec. (Goomun,) 
a cultivated coarse kind of cow-cabbage, pe- 
rennial, and five feet high, is eaten as a vege- 
table after much boiling ; the seeds are also 
used for oil. Of the numerous Capparidece, 
Cadaba indica, is particularly important in the 
Adel desert, being for many scores of miles 
the only shrub which affords shelter from the 
noontide sun. Two species of Capparis make 
impenetrable hedges in Efat. Cucumis afri- 
canus ( Ya ?nedur oomboi,) is an annual plant, 
of sandy and desert places ; the seeds are a 
favorite medicine m Shoa, and also with the 
Galla. Cucumis Colocynthis, is frequent in 
the valleys adjoining the Bahr Assal, but is not 
collected either for home use or for exportation. 
Cucurbita lagenaria (Kel,) grows wild, and is 
cultivated in Efat for water-bottles. Cucurbita 
Pepo, a common coarse pumpkin, in Shoa 
serves as a vegetable. Bryonia scabrella (Ya 
Amora M'sa,) is a much-dreaded poison. Two 
species of Flacourtia, Koshim and Menede?n, 
have edible berries. 

Viola montana, a violet without smell, grows 
in the forests of Shoa. Tamaricin<B occur in 
the desert, from the sea-shore as far as to the 
Hd.wash ; the presence of the principal kind, 
called Sagan, is to the Dankali herdsman a 
sure indication of water near the surface. 
The genus Hypericum has only showy plants. 
The Chenepodece, chiefly weeds, contain one 
species (called Amedmadoo,) which is used for 
polishing metal. Achyranthes spec. (Tali- 
neh) is a styptic medicine. Phytolacca abys- 
sinica (Endott) is a common shrub in Shoa 
and Efat ; a cold infusion of the dried and 
pounded berry possesses wonderful cleansing 
qualities and is used instead of soap. Silene 
dianthoides (Siakul,) is a pretty flower found 
on the high mountains. Calanchoe verea 
(Endehahoola) is a very common succulent 
plant, the leaves of which are dried and 
smoked like tobacco in phthisical affections, 
or the juice of them administered as refriger- 
ants in inflammatory fevers. Ephilobium vil- 
losum ( Ya lahm tchau, i. e. " cow's salt") is 
regarded as an excellent and wholesome fodder 
for horned cattle, if given occasionally. Punica 
granatum (Rooma,) sometimes cultivated in 
Efat, was introduced from Arabia. Several 
species of Grewia bear edible fruits in the des- 
ert, where their acidity is very grateful. 

To the various kinds of Byttneriacece and 
Malvacece no particular interest is attached, 
except to the cotton (Del) Gossypium nigrum, 
which is cultivated in two varieties, the finer 
and smaller species growing in the shade of the 



taller and more hardy. Both are regarded as 
indigenous to Abyssinia. Grain and cotton 
cloth form the principal staple commodities of 
Shoa. Linum usitatissimum (Tulbah) is culti- 
vated merely for the seeds, of which oil is 
made : flax-dressing not being understood. 
Vitis vinifera ( Woin Saf,) planted as a curi- 
osity in the king's gardens, bears plentifully, 
and would doubtless answer well upon volcanic 
soil. Several species of Cissus interlace the 
jungles of Efat ; one, especially, is a constant 
companion of the Camel-thorn Acacia in the 
desert. 

Euphorbia abyssinica (Kolqual,) a singular 
sconce -like milk bush of the Abyssinian groves, 
gives charcoal for gunpowder ; with the corro- 
sive sap it is frequently attempted to stop ulcers 
of a phagedenic nature. The inspissated juice 
of two other species of Euphorbia, Birgut and 
Anderfa, serves as a drastic purgative. The 
ostrich-hunting Somauli poisons his arrows 
with the milk of Euphorbia antiquorum, which 
does not make the meat injurious. Ricinus 
africanus (Gulo) affords in its seeds a famous 
medicine for cattle, and is frequent in Efat. 
Rhamnus spec. (Gesho) is a tonic, and a de- 
coction of the leaves of this cultivated shrub is 
used in the manufacture of hydromel and beer 
instead of hops. Celastrus spec. (Chaat) is a 
species of the tea planted and used in Efat, but 
more extensively in Caffa and other countries 
of the interior. In Efat the fresh leaves are 
both chewed and used as an astringent medi- 
cine, or taken in order to dispel sleep ; a de- 
coction in water or milk being also drunk as a 
beverage, which tastes bitter enough. Hage- 
nia abyssinica (Cosso) affords, in a cold infu- 
sion of the dried flowers and capsules, the 
famous drasticum purgans and anthelminthi- 
cum of the Abyssinians. The tre« is one of 
the most picturesque in appearance. Balsamo- 
dendron Myrrha (Kurbeta) grows on the bor- 
ders of Efat, in the jungle of the Hawash, and 
in the Adel desert. The resinous gum, called 
Hofali, is collected for exportation. Balsamo- 
dendron Opobalsamum (Besham) is commonly 
found with the former, and grows even at Cape 
Aden. Citrus medica (Lomi) flourishes wild 
in the jungles of Giddem, and is cultivated in 
Efat : Citrus aurantium (Bahr Lomi,) lately 
introduced from Arabia, and Citrus decumana 
var, (Trunco,) with apple-like solid pulp, are 
both found in the royal orchards. Rubus pin- 
natus (Injori) yields the best of all wild -grow- 
ing fruits in Abyssinia — a true blackberry of 
the forests. Rosa abyssinica (Kaga,) a tree- 
like dog-rose, bears an edible hip. The Bray- 
era abyssinica, which serves in Tigre" instead of 
Cosso, is not known in the southern provinces. 

Trifolium saxatile cespitosum (Nagad) is 
sown on the best meadows for green fodder. 
Vicia faba (Bakkela) is most extensively culti- 
vated in Shoa and in the Galla countries to the 
west ; the beans are eaten either fresh and 
green during the season, or, when dry, made 
up into soups. Ervum lens (Missur,) Cicer 



354 



APPENDIX. 



arietinum (<SAtm!>raft,)Pi8Hm sativum (Attur,) 
Phaseolus spec. (Adunguori,) are produced in 
Efat and other warm provinces of the king- 
dom. Many species of Indigofera, wild and 
unheeded, grow in the desert and on the bor- 
ders of cultivation. Pterolobium lacerans 
(Kantuffa) is an impenetrable hedge-shrub 
abounding in Efdt : the bark gives a red dye 
for leather. Tamarindus indica attains a ma- 
jestic size in the jungles of Efat, but is quite 
negiected ; as are also various kinds of Senna 
(Senamaki.) Dichrostachys cinerea, Acacia 
eburnea, Acacia planifrons, and other Camel- 
thorn trees, called Gcrar, are of the utmost im- 
portance to the wilderness and desert ; in the 
latter, the umbrella-like tops collect man and 
beast beneath their scanty shade during the 
hottest hours of the day. Some yield superior 
gum arabic ; the twigs serve as food for the 
■camel, and the pods for goats and sheep. 

The foregoing list of Abyssinian plants 
comprehends nearly all those which are of im- 
portance to the cultivator, farmer, or physician ; 
but no doubt double the number could be added 
by any people more enterprising and inquisitive 
than the inhabitants of Shoa. All kind of 
vegetation not directly useful and beneficial is 
regarded as a weed, and receives no special 
appellation ; and few of the population know 
the names of any plant that is not a daily ne- 
cessary of the kitchen. The physician's lore 
is kept a profound mystery, and there is not 
much lost by its limited diffusion, since the 
whole is a motley collection of very questiona- 
ble experience and most degrading superstition. 

ZOOLOGY. 

Of the lowest order of animals, the Radiates, 
nearly the same may be said that was remarked 
above respecting the lowest order of plants ; 
namely, that their species are in a less degree 
bound to certain limits of geographical distribu- 
tion than those in which the respective types 
hasten in more marked characters to the high- 
est possible perfection. None of the numerous 
tribe of Radiatce are, in their proper home, 
directly exposed to the external air and its 
changes. They live in a medium, which gen- 
erally preserves a mean temperature, with ex- 
tremes not prohibiting the possibility of animal 
existence, and their ephemeral life is little lia- 
ble to be cut short by any sudden change to 
either extreme. Thus we find that the waters 
and animal humors produce in different climes, 
similar beings, in which either the deficiency 
in bulk is made up by countless multitudes of 
individuals, or the deficiency in number by 
high reproductive powers. 

Tnteetinal worms ( Wosfat) prove one of the 
chief plagues of the Abyssinians. Not only 
ascarides, but also tape and thread worms 
(Taenia and Filaria,) are to be constantly con- 
tended with. The frequency of this disposition 
ttmet have its source in the usual diet, consist- 



ing of unleavened dough-like bread and raw 
meat, which the accompanying pepper-sauce 
is not sufficient to correct. Once in every , 
month the Cosso and other powerful purgatives 
are resorted to, and bring momentary relief ; 
but the guinea-worm, living in the fleshy parts 
of the limbs, must be endured until it shall have 
perforated the skin. 

The influence exercised upon the nature of 
the Articulated Animals or Insects by the 
quality of the other visible organized beings, 
both plants and animals, is much more appar- 
ent than in the above-named order of the Ra- 
diates. Being bound by the strongest ties to 
the limits of those beings which are assigned 
to them as food and home, their species pre- 
sent distinctly marked characters of geograph- 
ical distribution throughout the world. 

In Shoa and Efat there appears with the in- 
crease of vegetation a larger number of insects, 
but the most noxious of them remain only du- 
ring the height of the season. This is most 
perceptible in the migrations of locusts and 
caterpillars, which, by a few cold rains, are in- 
duced to descend into the open wildernesses 
and deserts. Such a sudden relief horn count- 
less hosts of the locust, called Anbasa, is inva- 
riably ascribed by the superstitious farmer to 
the special interposition and agency of his 
guardian saint, at whose shrine in the hour of 
need, offerings and vows are liberally made. 
Various grasshoppers (Sada,) mantidae (Feen- 
ta,) and cockroaches, do considerable damage 
during the hot season. A large black ant 
(Goonda,) which bites ferociously when in con- 
tact with the human body, constructs no water- 
tight habitation, but intrudes at the beginning 
of the rains into the huts, from which it is ex- 
pelled with the utmost difficulty. The Egyp- 
tian honey-bee (Neb,) either kept in the farm- 
yards within baskets, or existing wild in the 
woods, finds abundance of odoriferous flowers. 
Honey is an important article of consumption, 
both in its natural form and when converted 
into mead. 

Although so cold, the country is not free from 
the annoyances of flies (Sembi,) and musquitos 
(TevanQ.) White ants (Mest) are not so nu- 
merous and destructive in the upper as in the 
lower country. Small colonies of them live and 
build their chambers beneath loose stones, but 
they never come into the houses, and, in fact, 
the juniper timber of the fragile edifices is sel- 
dom attacked by any wood vermin. Various 
most beautiful butterflies, phalaenes, and moths, 
while in the caterpillar state (Tel,) despoil 
trees and plants that are of no value to the 
Abyssinian ; but his plantations of cotton and 
cabbage rarely suffer. Neither the silkworm 
nor the mulberry tree are found in the country. 
Numerous varieties of beetles, of those families 
especially which remove animal matter and soil, 
with others of more cleanly habits, are com- 
prised under the general appellation of Den- 
sissa. Among the former, the Coprophaga, 
many Egyptian species may be met with, as 



APPENDIX. 



355 



Copris Isidis, Ateuchus sacer, and others ; 
among the latter, chiefly Cetoniss, arc found 
species nearly allied to or identical with some 
of Sencgambia. One notable Inca, the male 
of which is armed with a powerful head ex- 
crescence, lives principally on the sap of wound- 
ed trees ; Lycus appendiculatusfrequentschiefly 
the flowers of Umbelliferae ; many Curculionides 
inhabit the plants of the family Compositae. but 
CoccineltaD are the most numerous. Species 
of Lylta abound, but no use is made of them, 
the Shoans having no real medicine prepared 
from the animal kingdom. Spiders (Sherarit,) 
and scorpions (Kind,) are studiously avoided, 
or destroyed, as particularly impure and nox- 
ious, though the former never attack aught 
their prey, and the sting of the latter is 
little dangerous. Total disregard of cleanliness 
is punished with a frightful increase of bodily 
vermin, as fleas (Kuiritska,) lice (Kemal,) bugs 
(Tochan.) and acarus scabici {EJcak.) 

The large number of water birds upon the 
lakes and morasses of Shoa effectually restrain 
an increase of Snails and Shells ; some species 
of Bulimus (Kendautchi.) minute Helices, 
Pupa, and Limax, are so few, that the damage 
done by them is not perceptible. Neither 
serve the larger kinds as food. 

The known fresh-water Fish are insignifi- 
cant in quality and quantity, and only serve to 
feed the numerous crocodiles which infest the 
main stream of the Hawash. Its various tri- 
butaries, when they first escape from the moun- 
tains, cany small species of Salmo and Perca 
(Asa.) which are in great request during Lent ; 
but the manner of taking them is primitive and 
imperfect. 

All the Amphibia are objects of apprehension 
and superstition. Serpents (Ebab) are not nu- 
x merous, and are chiefly of small kinds, not 
venomous, but the awe in which they are held 
is quite ridiculous. Tribes in the far west, 
described as being the meanest of men and 
scarcely above the beasts, are charged by the 
Abyssinians with the heinous custom of eating 
snakes, and ornamenting their persons with 
necklaces of the backbone of that accursed ani- 
mal. Two kinds of tortoises (Yeli) are found 
in the low country, Testudo graeca and indica ; 
the latter attains an enormous size in the deep 
impenetrable jungles of Mentshar. The dread 
entertained of the Saurii comprises all kinds, 
the harmless and the formidable. The Egyp- 
tian Gecko (Enkakela,) the chameleon (Eist,) 
the Seineus officinalis, and other numerous 
lizards, which make themselves most useful by 
the removal of so man)' annoying insects, are 
unrelentingly doomed to destruction, while the 
erocodiles (Azo) roam unmolested on the aban- 
doned shores of the larger rivers and lakes. 

The Feathered Tribe exist in great variety 
of species, which may in some degree be due 
to the preponderance of migratory birds. The 
Scansores, however, are principally stationary, 
their food seldom failing throughout the year. 
The noblest of them is a parrot-like Coliphimus 



(Sorit) of the Shoan forests. Lovely shades of 
green and many tints of the brightest red, a 
stately crest, and a long rounded tail, make it 
a favorite with the Abyssinians. A tail fea: 
fastened in the hair of a daring warrior, i 
token of late achievements in the battle-n 
Two other kinds, called Wans Sorit, i.e. Sons, 
of the river side, and Alicia, i. e. donkey, from 
the asinine tunes, are much inferior in beauty, 
though not in size. One, Coliphimus concolor, 
is of a dull grayish green ; the other, C. fascia- 
j tus, black and white, with white zones across 
'the tail ; the beak of the female is green ; both 
live in Efat upon different grains and wild figs. 
Two small kinds of parrot inhabit the fig and 
tamarind trees of the lower country : their 
name, Donkoro, is also used figuratively of per- 
sons talking nonsense. One corresponds almost 
with Psittacus Taranta. In the other, which 
is a little larger, the sexes are distinguished by 
the gay plumage of the male, which is green 
above and red below, while the female is gray- 
ish-brown and yellow. Gentropus Jardini, a 
beautiful kind of cuckoo, lives solitary on the 
fig-trees in Efat : several species of woodpeck- 
ers, which do not seem to differ from the South 
African kinds, are found on acacias and tam- 
arinds. 

Among the Ambulatores many migrate du- 
ring winter time from the mountains to the 
eastern plain ; others arrive during summer 
from the north, most likely from Sennaar and 
Egypt. They rarely do any considerable dam- 
age on the plantations of Teff and Juwarree, 
while their services in destroying numberless 
vermin are most conspicuous. Bird-catching 
for food or for amusement is not a sport with 
the Ainhara, but, on the other hand, there is 
no privilege in favor of the songsters — a study 
and imitation of the tunes of which might great- 
ly improve the execrable attempts of music, 
vocal and instrumental, vented by the unskil- 
ful Abyssinian performer. 

Two gaudy kinds of Alcedo play on the 
rivulets — Merops Bulockii and nubicus. These 
truly African species of the fly-catcher are in 
the lower, Upupa epos, the common hoopoe, in 
the upper country. Certhia tacazze and chaly- 
bea, with two other equally beautiful kinds of 
the humming-bird, proceed with the seasons to 
their flower-gardens, when the return of rain 
here, and of warmth there, elicits the most 
fragrant blossoms, and covers the shrubs of the 
mountain side or the jungle trees with soft 
honey-insects. One of these humming-birds 
suspends its bag-like nest, ingeniously woven 
of raw cotton, by a string of the same material, 
to reeds or cotton plants. Buphaga africana 
picks the lame of gadflies out of the galled 
backs of camels, oxen, and mules, in spite of 
the struggles of the tortured animal. Jeterus 
larvatus, and other species of stares, weave 
their nests of grass, and line them inside with 
the woolly flowers of an Achyranthes. These 
nests are suspended in great numbers to the 
lower branches of solitary trees, and may have 



356 



APPENDIX. 



given origin to the story of the wonderful 
groves, where all the fruits are birds inclosed 
in a shell. Lamprotornis auratus, and some 
other kinds of thrushes, consume, during their 
short stay in Shoa of two months, immense 
numbers of insects. Among the Sylviadae are 
some eminent songsters, especially Sylvia pam- 
melaina, and also species of Motacilla and 
Saxicola, while one Muscipeta, the male of 
which has two tail feathers three times as long 
as the whole body, is quite silent. The head 
and neck of this remarkable bird are steel blue, 
the other parts of the plumage rusty brown, 
except the two elongated middle feathers of the 
tail, which are snowy white with black quills, 
and a brown plot at the extremity ; they are 
used as an ornament for royalty. Lanius hu- 
meralis (Gurameile) is one of those fatal birds, 
the sudden appearance of which before an army 
at its outset, forebodes ill-success, and all man- 
ner of misfortune to single persons if the tail be 
directed toward them. To the other kinds of 
shrikes no such unhappy celebrity is attached, 
although they seem not less litigious, and anx- 
ious to draw off by their noise the attention of 
a wayfarer from the vicinity of their nests. 
Alauda alpestris comes from the west, and re- 
turns again after two months, April and May. 
The most numerous kinds of finches, Ploccus, 
Pyrgita, Linaria, &c, are all comprised under 
the appellation Off, i. e. small bird : they seem 
generally to have fixed quarters. Colius capen- 
sis (Rasa) is solely in Efat, in company with 
the Wans sorit. 

Ravens and crows are of three kinds, but 
one of them (Kura) is particularly remarkable 
on account of its beak, which is much higher 
than the crown, carrying a considerable pro- 
tuberance on the top, the nostrils being situated 
in an excavation, which runs forward in a broad 
furrow ; the bill is very massive, twice as high 
as it is broad, and terminating in a small hook ; 
the color of the plumage is deep brownish- 
black, except a broad bar of white feathers 
across the sinciput, and sometimes a narrow 
white line down the back of the neck. Its 
voice and mode of living and walking is just 
like that of our crows, but it does not suffer the 
approach of other species. 

Swallows are never failing, but the species 
vary in their visits. Hirundo capensis and rus- 
tica appear to avoid each other, not being seen 
together in the same localities. Cypselus apus 
and Caprimulgus species are rarely met with. 
Coracias afra and abyssinica live only in the 
lower country, also the various kinds of Horn- 
bill. Herkoom, Buceros abyssinicus, by far the 
largest, is mischievous to the Juwarree fields ; 
but the damage done is compensated by his 
great liking for field-mice also. The Herkoom 
runs swiftly, and rises seldom into the air : the 
white wing feathers are much esteemed as an 
ornament of the hair by the triumphant war- 
rior. Buceros nasutus, and another species, 
which differs slightly in color and size, eat small 
lizards and chameleons. Buceros erythrorhyn- 



chus (Sholak,) the most frequent of them, rids 
the plantations of many noxious insects. 

The tribe of Raptor es (Amor a) is uncom- 
monly numerous, and on the whole very useful 
in Abyssinia. Those that feed on living ani- 
mals seldom stoop at even a stray fowl, while 
all their other prey is quite indifferent to the 
farmer, and the carrion birds remove quickly 
whatever the indolent grazier has dragged out- 
side his door. Finding plenty of food, they 
have no need to wander widely or periodically ; 
yet the large species have their nests at con- 
siderable distances from their hunting districts, 
and commonly on inaccessible precipices. 

Strix bubo, the only, but very common owl 
of the upper country, and one Otus of the low 
plain, are treated as birds of ill omen. From 
the entrails of the former the necromancer pre- 
pares a potent charm. The eagle, Aquila nse- 
via (Nas'r,) comes seldom near the villages, 
nor is he forward in his depredations. Falco 
biarmicus fights his superiors in size, and de- 
prives them forcibly of their prey ; it has got 
hence the appellation, Ya Amora Alaka, i. e. 
chief of the birds of prey. Morphnus occipita- 
lis (Adagoota,) a beautiful crested falcon, lives 
in the lower country of Giddem, and is partic- 
ulary inert. Several species of Astur and Ac- 
cipiter (Bazi,) feed on small songsters and mice. 
Ternis, spec. (Goodie,) removes innumerable 
quantities of locusts ; and Milvus parasiticus 
(Tshelvit,) cleans streets and premises in com- 
pany with the crows. Gypaetos barbatus 
(Cheffie,) extremely frequent in Shoa, draws 
near to butchers, and waits patiently for his 
share — the paunch and other rejected parts of 
the victim. Vultur arrianus and fulvus (Yellos) 
smell their food many miles off, and gather 
round it in great numbers. The periodically 
returning wars and the extensive stock of cat- 
tle kept throughout the habitable parts, feed 
with never-failing supplies of carrion horrible 
gangs of hyenas, jackals, dogs, and vultures- 
Cathartes percnopterus and Neophron niger 
are less frequent, and always solitary. 

The tribe of Rasores contains the few birds 
that are considered fit for Christian food ; yet 
the common fowl (Doroo,) the only domesticat- 
ed kind, kept almost in every compound, is 
very much neglected, and not being of a supe- 
rior breed, remains small and lean. All other 
meat is eaten raw by the Abyssinians, but 
fowls, either tame or wild, must be cooked.. 
The wild ones, pintado, partridge, quail, and 
grouse, are not prohibited, but still suspected 
as unwholesome food ; and if even long after 
an indulgence of such meat the gourmand fall 
sick, he invariably looks back upon that tres- 
pass as the cause of his indisposition. Numida 
cristata (Chickra,) in bevies of many hundreds, 
range throughout the lower country. A very 
large kind of partridge (Kok) is found, not in 
coveys, but in pairs, running swiftly through 
furrows of the corn-fields. Dogs are taught to 
catch them without injury ; and before being 
eaten, the bird is kept for some days, to obvi- 



APPENDIX. 



357 



ate the bad effects of any unclean food which 
it may possibly have taken. This partridge 
attains the size of the pintado. Another kind, 
living on the high plateau, and also hunted 
down with dogs, resembles more that of middle 
Europe Pterocles arenarius, and other species 
of grouse, occur in the deserts. 

Pigeons are frequent both in Shoa and in the 
eastern provinces. Wani, Ergeb, and Kum- 
roo, are appellations of different kinds, all too 
wild to tempt the Abyssinian to any exertion 
to catch or domesticate them. Wani is the 
largest, above brown, below slaty gray ; the 
head gray, with a black zone across the sin- 
ciput. Another is all gray* except a white zone 
on the upper neck, and a collar of darker ar- 
row-headed feathers ; a third also gray, but 
with a white head, and brown edges on the 
wing feathers. Ergeb has a peculiarly inflated 
beak ; head and neck gray, shoulders and back 
olive green, breast and belly citron yellow, wing 
and tail feathers whitish edged and tipped. 
Kumroo is the turtle-dove, one kind of which 
has elongated tail feathers. 

Otis arabs, the largest bustard, which is as 
swift as the ostrich, destroys a great number 
of locusts and scorpions, and is therefore never 
eaten. Another small bustard ( Wato) is vari- 
ously colored ; it lives on the borders of the 
desert. Charadrius spinosus is a rare visitor 
of the lakes near the Havash. Tachydromus 
isabellinus is an inhabitant of the plains of 
Efat ; and Himantopus atropterus of the mo- 
rasses near Ang6llala. 

Abundance of water makes the provinces of 
Shoa a favorite place of resort to many species 
of Grallaiores. Among the herons are re- 
markable Ardea ephippiorhyncha, and another 
called Alaka fattah, having particularly long 
wing feathers of a darker color than the re- 
mainder of the body, which is above gray, be- 
low white. The former lives in the valley of 
the Abai, the latter about Ang6llala ; but mi- 
grates also to the west. Smaller k»nds, as 
Garzetta, Nycticorax, arrive from the north in 
February, but commonly pass on still more 
southward, whence they return in May. Ibis 
religiosa stays for some months on the lakes of 
the upper country ; Numenius, spec. (Gaga,; 
about AnkOber. The common snipe, some 
kinds of pewits, the spoon-bill, and the flamin- 
go, sometimes extend their migrations as far 
as Shoa. 

Geese and ducks swarm unmolested over 
the lakes of the western provinces ; a few de- 
scend also to the plain. Chenalopex segyp- 
tiacus builds its nest upon high trees on the 
river side in Efat. Another rare species car- 
ries on the frontal basis a thinly feathered flexi- 
ble bunch. All the birds of this class are 
strangely inapprehensive of danger when moult- 
ing or hatching. Daring their stay in Shoa 
they are occupied with both of these processes, 
but the rigorous proscriptions regarding food, 
usually afford them protection. 

01 Mammalia, the Rodentia seem to have 



no great extension through the cultivated pro- 
vinces of Shoa. One small house rat (Eid,) 
and a field mouse, Otomys albicaudatus, are 
very obnoxious indeed to the grain, but snares 
and traps keep them easily down on well- man- 
aged farms. Lepis capensis (Dindjel) frequents 
more the plains both of the low and of the up 
country, and does little damage. To eat of its 
flesh would be considered downright criminali- 
ty, not less than myophagy itself. Hystrix 
cristata (Short) lives only in abandoned ter- 
mite-cones in the desert. A very rare large 
squirrel is found upon tamarind trees. 

Cattle-breeding is, on the whole, in a more 
advanced state among the Galla than among 
the Amhara, who prefer agricultural pursuits. 
The common sheep (Bug) of Shoa is small, 
with coarse black wool ; the Adai'el have the 
Hejaz lamb, short haired, with fat tail ; the 
Galla, a most superior tall fleecy kind, also 
with fat tail, and without horns. With the 
latter the Amhara cross their breed. The Galla 
of Northern Abyssinia rear a peculiar kind 
with immensely long hair, commonly white ; 
its fleece, dyed black and then called Lophisa, 
is a dress much prized by the chiefs and men 
of renown throughout the country. The cured 
skin (Dabbalo) of the common sheep is an in- 
dispensable part of the male dress. From the 
wool a kind of camlet cloth is woven. Goats 
(Fial) thrive better in the mountains ; they are 
tall, horned, with short matted hair of many 
colors, in fact, quite identical with the Euro- 
pean kind. The Add have no breed of their 
own, but drive down annually from the Shoan 
marts vast herds into their savannas. 

The Abyssinian horse (Feras) is small, and 
held in little repute. The donkey (Aheia,) of 
a sturdy and strong race, is indispensable to 
communication and commerce, and as a beast 
of burthen suffers less than the camel from long 
privation. The mule, (Bagalo,) higher priced 
than the mare itself, is eminently useful in the 
hills, being more sure-footed and better-winded 
than the horse ; it is, however, much better 
cared for. The she-mules are larger and stouter 
but the males are the most enduring. The 
breed from the horse-mare and donkey-stallion 
is patronized by the Abyssinians, but despised 
by their more war-like neighbors, the Galla, 
vith whom the horse is a favorite. A wdd 
donkey, ( Ya meida aheia, neither Zebra nor 
Quagga,) a little larger than the common ass, 
herds in the prairies of the Adaiel country, 
and is timid, cautious, and swift of foot. 

Bullocks (Beri or Ferita) are similar to the 
Zebu, but the hump is smaller. Some Galla 
tribes possess a peculiar breed (Sanga,) the 
horns of which attain an enormous size, and 
serve for bottles ; from the smaller horns drink - 
ing-cups are manufactured. The calves are 
not used for food. No work except dragging 
the plough and thrashing is required of the 
ox. 

The wild buffalo (Gosh,) Bubalus Pegasus, 
fierce and as yet untamed, inhabits the forests 



APPENDIX. 



and jtmglcs of Bttlga arrd M entshar all along 
the river Hawash ; its chase is considered one 
of: the most dangerous pursuits of the hunter, 
several human lives being frequently expended 
on the conquest of one beast. Strepsiceros 
capensis (Agaziu,) and Oryx capensis (Sala,) 
are hunted on the borders of the desert. In 
the latter species, accident sometimes causes 
the loss of one horn, a fact which probably 
t;ave rise to the story of the unicorn ; more- 
over, the parallel horns are placed so near each 
other, that when the animal is seen en profile 
from a distance, it might well appear single- 
horned. Gazella Mhorr wanders in large 
herds through the desert ; Antilope Saltiana 
(Medaqua,) abounds from the sea-coast to the 
root of the mountains. 

Hyrax abyssinieus (Ashkoko.) a harmless in- 
habitant of nooks and corners of the rocks, is 
common to Shoa as well as to the hills of the 
Adel. Bruce's Rhinoceros ( Worsisa.) combin- 
ing the more striking characters of the Asiatic 
and African species, that is, the two horns of 
the latter and the plaits and folds of the former, 
deserves a closer investigation ; it lives in the 
deep jungles of Mentshar, on the banks of the 
Hawash. Phascochoerus afrieanus (Erya,) the 
African hog, infests the woods of the warmer 
districts, and is a horrible-looking brute. Hip- 
popotamus amphibius (Gomari) hides its colos- 
sal frame during the day in the floods of the 
Hawash, the Jumma, and other large rivers 
and lakes. The Wato, a certain caste among 
the Galla, subsist upon its flesh ; and the thick 
skin is cut into shields or whips. Elephas afri- 
canus (Zihoon) is dispersed in many small 
families, and destroys the plantations of sugar- 
cane and Juwarree along the foot of the moun- 
tains. Not the slightest attempt is made to. 
put a stop to Ins ravages, the paltry weapons 
in use heing of no avail, while severe loss of 
life follows the footsteps of the enraged animal. 
A small trade in ivory is notwithstanding car- 
ried on with the coast in the tusks found acci- 
dentally. 

Lutra inunguis {Devil's sheep,) rarely sur- 
prised on the banks of the river Bereza, fur- 
nishes in its body divers secret medicines to the 
initiated. Viverra Civetta (Angeso) is wild; 
but frequently kept in cages in the Galla coun- 
tries to the southwest of Shoa. The Civet 
(Dering,) taken out of the bag by means of a 
small spoon, and collected in cow-horns, is one 
of the precious articles which the slave caravans 
proceeding from the interior through Shoa to 
the coast, barter for their daily food. One 
Ichneumon (MootsheltsheUa) robs the poultry- 
yard. The lion (Anhassa,) and the leopard 
(Nabr,) are well known throughout Abyssinia. 
The former seldom pays a visit to the hills, 
hunting nightly along the banks of the rivers, 
and lurking during the day in his jungle re- 
treats ; the latter is more common, and shuns 
less the presence of man. Both are run down 



on foot by bodies of men, armed solely with 
lances, which they shower over the slowly re- 
treating beast under a deafening yell. The 
spoils are an indispensable part of a chief's; 
dress, and objects of importation from the west.; 
the most prized, however, is the skin of the 
black leopard (Gasela,) living in and. beyond 
Guvague. 

The domestic cat is a rarity in Shoa ; only 
great men place them as guardians in then- 
storehouses. The clog (Oosha,) generally a. 
half-wild companion of the farmer and inmate 
ox his premises, becomes attached and useful 
when allowed to share the master's protection. 
It is taught to keep the herds in order, to catch 
birds, to defend property, to give warning on 
the approach of wild beasts. Not -he tenth 
part of the quickly-multiplying race possess 
owners ; but their iitility as scavengers proves 
their safeguard. Canis Anthus ( Dabela,) a 
wolf- like dog and an offensive thief, frequent 
in Efat, is caught in pitfalls ; its liver has so 
mysterious virtue. The jackal (Kabbaro,) and 
Hyasna crocuta (Gib.) make nightly inroads 
into villages and towns ; they fight the dogs, 
and for want of other prey drag off some of 
these. On the borders of the low country,, the 
night camps must be fenced round with thorns, 
as a protection against their inroads. 

Cercocebus griseo-viridis (Tota) lives upon 
wild figs. Cynocephalus Hamadryas (Zivxiro.) 
the male, with the mane of a lion and a pow- 
erful frame, is very mischievous and even dan- 
gerous ; it congregates in caves and fissures of 
the rocks. Colobus (Guresa,) the prettiest of 
all monkeys, and one duly patronized by the 
Abyssiuians on account of its retired habits, is 
always on the top of the highest trees, com- 
monly on the Worra, which bears its food. 

Filfil, an animal that throws up mole-hills, 
baffles all attempts to catch it. Pteropus ffigyp- 
tiacus and Nycteris thebaica (Lclii off, i. e. 
night-bird,) are harmless but suspected inhab- 
itants of ruined buildings. An obscure idea of 
a former supremacy of man over the beasts of 
the field causes the Abyssinian Christian to 
view, in a literal sense, those legends which his 
pious ancestors have recorded of the singular 
dealings of holy men with the arch-tiend ; and 
he still figuratively personates every evil pas- 
sion of the human heart by some savage, treach- 
erous, or subtle animal of the inferior creation. 

The highlands of Abyssinia can, however, 
offer but a small number of wild animals, and 
even of these very few are exclusively her own. 
The cultivation of the greater portion of the 
land, the absence of extensive forests, jungles, 
morasses, caverns, and other places of retreat, 
added to the great diversity of the clime from 
that of the adjacent countries, which at once 
excludes the migratory tribes, are the causes of 
the fortunate contrast presented to the lowlands 
of the Adaiel, where the dominion of man has 
yet been very imperfectly established. 



APPENDIX. 



35P 



NO. VI 



ON THE COTTON AND COFFEE TREE OF SOUTHERN 
ABYSSINIA. 

Tradition assigns to the countries of Enarea 
andCaffa the indigenous residence of the coffee- 
plant. In Shoa Proper the cultivation and con- 
sumption are strictly interdicted, as savoring 
too strongly of the abhorred Mohammadan ; 
but the plant in proper situations grows strong 
and healthy, and in all the bordering districts 
subject to Sahela Selassie, where the restric- 
tion is not enforced, there the plantations are 
numerous and thriving. 

Planted before the rains, the seed soon ap- 
pears above the ground, and when six months 
old the offspring is transferred to take the place 
of some worn-out tree. Water and the manure 
of the sheep are plentifully supplied, and the 
crop, which from a full bearing adult is generally 
from thirty to forty pounds, is gathered in March 
and April. Averaging from eight to ten feet in 
height, with dark shining foliage, and branches 
loaded with fruit, it grows luxuriantly in the 
valleys in any sheltered situation, delighting 
especially in the soil produced by a decompo- 
sition of trap rock, which has been washed 
down from the adjacent heights ; and although 
taking six years to arrive at maturity, it yields 
a slight return on the second season of its trans- 
plantation. 

The berries are in the first instance of a dark 
green hue, which before pulling is suffered to 
turn red, a white milky-looking pulp, called 
gullaboo, meanwhile filling up the space between 
the cuticle and the seed. Having been shaken 
and gathered from the branches, the crop is 
spread in the sun until the pulp becomes suffi- 
ciently dry to admit of its removal, which, by 
continual free ventilation out of doors, is usu- 
ally the case in one month. The seeds intend- 
ed for the plantation are not divested of the 
husk, but sown by the handful in a small plot, 
which is carefully manured and watered ; and 
the gullaboo, sold separately from the bean, is 
employed as a beverage with the decoction of 
the cJwat. 

For the better security of his own monopoly at 
the ports of Zeyla and Berbera, the Emir of Hur- 
rur opposes the importation of coffee into his own 



dominions, both from Shoa and from the coun- 
try of the Galla. The plant is extensively and 
successfully cultivated ; but the price given in 
Hurrur is high in comparison with that paid 
in Abyssinia ; and the average demanded on 
the coast by the merchants of the former prin- 
cipality, varying from five pence to seven pence 
a pound, would seem to be in unison with that, 
customary at Massowah in the Red Sea. 

The difficulties attending the tedious road 
to the coast ; the lazy indifferent character of 
the Danakil camel owners, who, regardless of 
the value of time, spend months upon the 
journey ; and the fitful caprice evinced by the 
various chieftains through whose territory the 
caravan mu3t pass — all form great obstacles to 
the conveyance of the cheaper produce from 
Abyssinia, although they might doubtless be 
overcome within a reasonable period by the 
well-directed efforts of British perseverance. 
In Caifa and Enarea, coffee grows wild like a 
weed over the rich surface of the country. 
The beverage is in universal use among the 
inhabitants ; the price paid is almost nominal ; 
and the convenience of water carriage is alone 
wanting toward the transportation of the pro- 
duct in unlimited quantities, to every portion of 
the globe. 

Cotton of two kinds grows in the sequestered 
nooks of the eastern face of the mountains of 
Shoa, and in the valleys at the extreme foot of 
the range ; but from the superior luxuriance of 
the plant, and the amount of crop produced, in 
the lower situations, the natural climate would 
appear to exist in those sheltered spots which 
in atmosphere much resemble the more favored 
parts of Western India. The Efat shrub va. 
ries according to the locality and supply of wa- 
ter, from three feet in height to upward of 
seven, and usually assuming the form of a pyr- 
amid, extends its lower branches to a width 
equal to the stature — the size of the leaves, and 
the soft and yielding nature of the stem, im- 
parting a strong external resemblance to the 
Bourbon cotton. Eight an*d nine inches in cir- 
cumference are not unfrequently attained ; and 
the advantages of a very productive crop twice 
in each year, the existence of the plant during 
five seasons, and the heavy return of the par- 



360 



APPENDIX. 



ticularly fine wool during the very first, award 
to the species a most deserving preeminence.* 
The indigenous plant of Efat is not, however, 
so much esteemed as that from Gondar, which 
instead of rising tall and straight from the 
ground, assumes a spreading dwarfy appear- 
ance, t The wool is considered superior, and 
the cloth produced is softer and more elastic, 
but the existence enjoyed by the exotic is lim- 
ited to three years. Both are planted indis- 



*Gossypium Efatense. Seeds completely covered 
with a close down. Cotton white ; capsules 3-celled. 
3-valved : flowers small, with a red fundus ; leaves 3 
to 5-lobed ; lobes acuminated. 

t Gossypium Gondarense. Seeds sprinkled with 
short hairs. Cotton white ; capsules 3-celled, 3-valv- 
ed ; flowers large, yellow ; leaves 3 to 5-lobed ; lobes 
commonly obtuse. 



criminately in the same field, although when 
gathered the crops are preserved unmixed ; 
and after the fifth year the Efat shrub is cut 
over close to the ground, which is then plough- 
ed up, and sown with wheat or other grain, 
when, on the removal of the harvest, the young 
cotton shoots are well above the ground, and 
will yield during two further seasons. 

The seed having been placed for some time 
in wood ashes, is well rubbed with red earth 
before planting ; and wherever the locality is 
favorable to irrigation, water is not spared. 
The pod, when ripe, is cut with a knife, the 
husk removed, and the wool deposited in a 
bag, with the utmost care to exclude extrane- 
ous matter. One full bearing bush produces, 
twice during the twelve months between four 
and five pounds of raw stuff 



NO. VII. 



CATALOGUE OF EXTANT MSS. IN THE ETHIOPIC 
AND AMHARIC TONGUES. 

1. The Old Testament. 

2. The four Gospels with readings, and all the 
other books of the New Testament. 

3. Chrysostomos. Biography of St. Chrysos- 
tom, and his exposition of the Epistle to the 
Hebrews. 

4. Kerillos. A dogmatical work by St. Cyr- 
illus of Alexandria. 

5. Genset. A book used in funeral solemni- 
ties, ascribed to Athanasius, and stated to 
have been discovered by Helena at the dig- 
ging out of the Holy Cross. 

6. Fatka Negest. The judgments of the 
kings, or code of laws, said to have fallen 
from heaven in the time of Constantine the 
Great. 

7. Aclementos. 

8. Retna Haimanot. The orthodox faith. 

9. Sena Aihud. History of the Jews, in con- 
nection with the history of other ancient na- 
tions. 

10. Mazafa Filasfa. Extract from ancient 
philosophy. 

11. Henoch. The prophecies of Enoch. 

12. Gadela Michael. History of St. Michael. 

13. Gadela Tekla Haimanot. Life of Tekla 
Haimanot, the Patron saint of Abyssinia. 

14. Gadela Sena Markos. Life of another 
saint. 



15. Gadela Guebra Manfas Kecoos. Life 
and conflicts of Guebra Manfas Kedoos, one 
of the greatest of Abyssinian saints. 

16. Gadela Lalibela. Life of the emperor 
Lalibela. 

17. Masgaba Haimanot. A dogmatical work. 

18. Synodos. Canons of the church, attribu- 
ted to the Apostles. 

19. Antiakos. Colloquy between Athanasius 
and a nobleman called Antiakos. 

20. Mazafa Myster. The principles of sev- 
eral heretics of old. 

21. Mazafa Aoro. 

22. Mazafa Timkal. Used in christening. 

23. Mazafa Actil. Used in blessing a mar- 
riage. 

24. Mazafa Keder. Used for instructing 
renegades. 

25. Guebra Haimanot. Read during Passion 
Week. 

26. Bartos. 

27. Dionasios. 

28. Sena Febrak (Amharic.) History ot the 
Creation: containing certain fabulous tradi- 
tions concerning the Creation and the Ante- 
diluvian world, said to have been commu- 
nicated to Moses on Mount Sinai, but not 
recorded in the Book of Genesis. 

29. Tamera Miriam. Miracles of the Holy 
Virgin, wrought during her sojourn in Abys- 
sinia, where she is said to have tarried three 
years and six months with the infant Jesus, 
before her return to Palestine. 



APPENDIX. 



861 



30. Nagara Miriam. Words of the Holy 
Virgin. 

31. Gadela Hawaryat. Lives of the Apostles. 

32. Ardeet. Words said to have been spoken 
by Christ before his ascension. 

33. Kedasie. Liturgy of the Abyssinian 
Church. 

34. Wuddassie Miriam. Praise of the Holy 
Virgin. 

35. Organon. A liturgy containing praise to 
the Virgin Mary. 

36. Gadela Samatal. Lives of the martyrs. 

37. Abooshaker. Abyssinian almanac. 

38. Gadela Adam. History of Adam. 

39. Kedan. 

40. Egziabher Neges. 

41. Auda Negest. Book for prognostication, 
forbidden in Shoa. 

42. Gadela Medhanalcm. Life of the Saviour. 

43. Amida Myster (Amharic.) The pillar 
mysteries, viz. Trinity, Incarnation, Bap- 
tism, Lord's Supper, and Resurrection. 

44. Temhert. Extracts. 

45. Kufalik. Mysteries revealed to Moses on 
Mount Sinai, not written in the Pentateuch. 

46. Mazafa Graan {Amharic.) History of 
the invader Graan. 

47. Serata beita Chrestian. Institutions of 
the Christian Church. 

48. Mewaset. Hymns for mournful occasions. 

49. Toma Degwa. Hymns sung during fast 
time. 

50. Degwa. Book of anthems, in which all 
the pieces of the Liturgy that are chanted 
are set to music by St. Yareed, a native of 
Simien, who lived thirteen centuries ago, 
and is believed to live still. 

51. Lefafa Zedik. Prayers and spells against 
evil spirits and diseases, a book much es- 
teemed, and buried along with the corpse. 

52. Ekabari. Book of prayers. 

53. Zalota Musa. Prayers of Moses against 
the influence of evil spirits. 

54. Melka Michael. Prayers to St. Michael. 

55. Melka Yasoos. Prayers to Jesus and the 
Holy Virgin. 

56. Gadela Aragawi. Life of an Abyssinian 
saint. 

57. Gadela Kyros. Life of an Abyssinian 
saint. 

58. Gadela Tohani. Life of an Abyssinian 
saint. 

59. Kolat of the 318 Fathers. 

60. Maala Saalat. Prayers and hymns for 
different hours of the day. 

61. Kuddassie Amlac. Praise of God. 

62. Mazafa Tomar. A letter which Christ is 
said to have written. 

63. Turguamie Fidel (Amharic.) 

64. Melka Gabriel. Prayers to St. Gabriel. 

24 



65. Swasewe. Book of scales, the Amharic 

Grammar. 
66 Germama. Prayers to frighten evil spirits- 

67. Matshafa Fooes Manfasawi. Spiritual 
medicine. 

68. Dersana Sanbat. Life of a saint. 

69. Fekaric Yasoos. Christ's prophecy of 
the consummation of the world. 

70. Mazafa Shekeneat. 

71. Tekla Zion. 

72. Haimanot Abao. Doctrines of the Abys- 
sinian church, comprising extracts from the 
Holy Scriptures, from synods, councils, and 
writings of the Fathers. 

73. Gadela Antonios. Life of the Monk Antony. 

74. Zelota Musadod. Prayers against evii 
spirits. 

75. Dersana Gabriel. History of St. Gabriel. 

76. Gadela Georgis. Life of St. George. 

77. Gelota Monakosat. Prayers of the monks. 

78. Felekisus. Book on monastic subjects. 

79. Manshak. Book of monkery. 

80. Aragawi Manfasawi. Book of monkery. 

81. Dersana Mahajawi. Life of the Life 
Giver. 

82. Gadela Sannel. Life of Sarin. 

83. Sena Aban. 

84. Kebra Negest. Glory of the kings. The 
book of Axum. 

85. Gera Moie. 

86. Epiphanios. 

87. Aximanos. 

88. Buni. 

89. Mazafa Berhanet. 

90. Saweros. 

91. Dedaskalea. Didaskalia. 

92. Tamera Yasoos. Miracles of our LordC 

93. Ankoritos. 

94. Mazafa Tshai. 

95. Feliksing. 

96. Mister a Sarnai. 

97- Georgis Wolda Amid. 

98. Dersana Miriam. History of St. Mary. 

99. Lik Evangel. 

100. Fareteh. 

101. Gadela Yob. Life of Job. 

102. Thomas Koprianos. 

103. Gadela Kedoosau. Lives of saints. 

104. Gadela Arzemaro. 

105. Raia Miriam. Dream of the Holy Virgin. 

106. Gadela Abib. 

107. Gadela Nakod Wolab 
men. 

108. Gadela Guebra Christos. Life and con- 
flicts of Guebra Christos, son of the Emperor 
Theodosius. 

109. Tebaba Tabiban. The wisdom of the 
wise, a prayer to God recording in poetry 
the History of the Old and New Testament. 

110. Synkesar. Collectio Vitarum Sanctorum 



Lives of holy 



363 



NO. VIII 



0mke0ar, or 0gna#aria* 



THE CALENDAR 



OF THE 



kthtopic christian church. 



APPENDIX 



365 



ABYSSINIAN EPOCHS, AND ECCLESIASTICAL COMPUTATION. 



From the Creation of the World until the Council of Nicaea, years are to be counted - 5815 

From the Birth of Our Lord to the Council of Nicsea (325) 317 

The Council of Constantinople was held in the year of the World ... - 5873 
From the Council of Nicaea to that of Constantinople, are years - - - 56 

From the Birth of Our Lord to the Council of Constantinople (381) - 373 

The Council of Ephesus was held in the year of the World ..... 5923 
From the Birth of Our Lord to the Council of Ephesus ------ 423 

From the Council of Nicaea to that of Ephesus - 106 

From the Council of Constantinople to that of Ephesus ------ 50 

The Fourth Council of Chalcedon was held in the year of the World - 5944 

after that of Ephesus, years - - - - - -21 

after that of Constantinople ----- 71 

after that of Nicaea 127 

after the Birth of Christ ------ 444 

From Alexander to the Birth of Christ -'- - - - - - - -319 

to the Council of Nicaea -------- 636 

From the Creation of the World to Alexander - -- - - - - - 5181 

From the Birth of Christ to the era of the Martyrs -----. 276 

From the era of the Martyrs to the Council of Nicaea -.--.. 41 

to the Council of Constantinople ----- 97 

to the Council of Ephesus ------- 147 

to the Council of Chalcedon ------ 168 

From the Creation of the World to the era of the Martyrs - 5776 

Erom the Martyrs to the Kaliphs -- 338 

From the Birth of Christ to the Kaliphs --------- 614 

From the Creation of the World to the Kaliphs - - - - - - -6114 

From Alexander to the Kaliphs --- 933 

From the Kaliphs to the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Sahela Selassie, Negoos of 
Shoa, son of Woosen Suggud ---------- 1220 

From the era of the Martyrs to the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Sahela Selassie 1558 
From the Birth of Christ to the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Sahela Selassie - 1834 

From the Creation of the World to the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Sahela Selassie 7332 

Praise be unto God, the Giver of Understanding ! Amen ' 



Note. — The following calendar, translated from the Latin of Ludolf, has been considerably 
enlarged by a comparison at Ankober with a complete copy of the " Senkesar.*' The lives of 
the Saints, or the detail of miracles written against each day, are publicly read in the churches 
<z£ the service beginning at the cock's first crowing. 



APPENDIX. 



007 



MASKARRAM— SEPTEMBER. 

FIRST MONTH OF THE ABYSSINIAN YEAR. 



Julian. 



Ethiop. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



Remarks. 



Aug. 
29. 



Sept. 



30. 



31. 



Sept. 
1. 



2. 



3. 



in. 



IV. 



VI. 



4. 



vn. 



Itfeto Year's IBag. 
i&elfus, or ifttltus. 



St. Jotm tfje 2Saj)tfst. 



Bartholomew. 

Sob. 

Raguel, the angel. 
Abba Malki. 

Dasias, Martyr of Tayda. 
John, the Priest. 



Manna, a martyr. 

Brecutton of St. Jofm tfje artist 

Abba Moses, the Hermit. 
Abba Anbasa. 

Synod of Alexandria. 

ikaftarfus, $atrfarcfc of ^lerantirfa. 

Simeon, the Devout. 
Tekla, the Theologian. 
Sophia, with her two daughters, Barnaba 
and Axosia. 

St. Mamas, the Martyr. 

Theodotus, with his wife Theophana. 

Esafai) tfte $roj)fjet 

Abnodius. 

Besintia, the Martyr. 

Jacob, the Monk. 

Antimus, the Bishop. 

Orontes, Raurawa, Saulas, and Sawa, the 

Martyrs. 
Basilides. 
Severianus. 
Agaton, Ammon, Amonius, Petrus, and 

Johannes, the Martyrs, with their mother 

Raflka. 
Elizabeth, daughter of Sophy. 
Mary, her sister. 

©toscorus, $atrlarc& of glerartirrfa. 



Styled Amedalem, or Auda-amed 

He was also called Abilius, and 
was the third patriarch of Al- 
exandria after St. Mark. 

On this day his execution is sol- 
emnized in the Greek and 
Roman church ; but in the 
Ethiopian and Coptic, his name 
only, his death being transfer- 
red to the day following. 

He was put iuto a bag and cast 
into the sea. 



One of the principal men of Clys- 
mae. 

Who is also called the Faster, 
for he abstained from meat 
and wine. 



i. e., the Lion, because he rode 
upon a lion. 

The sixty-fourth patriarch. 



Sophia is called by the poet — 
" Precious stone of the city of 
Rome." 



Of Nicomedia ; he suffered mar- 
tyrdom under Maximinian. 



Of Rome. 



He was the five-and-twentieth 
patriarch, and not acknow- 
ledging the Council ofChalce- 
don, was declared a schismatic, 
wherefore he is held by the 
Abyssinians to be a saint. 



363 



APPENDIX. 

Maskdrram — September. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and* Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Sept. 


Sept. 






5. 


VIII. 


Dimadius, a Martyr. 

i&oses, t&e $ronf)et. 

/^acfrartas, t|)e Attest, son of 3Sara= 

etnas. 
Another Zacharias and Joseph. 




6. 


IX. 


Abba Bissora, Bishop of Massilia, with his 
companions, Bisacar, Fanabicus, and 
Theodorus. 


• 






ittfc&ael. 


The archangel, who, according 
to the Greeks at Colossae, in i 
Phrygia, smote with a rod, and { 
removed a rock, which the 
heretics had thrown into the 
river to divert its course. 






Cyrianus, Bishop. 








Iassai, the King. 




7. 


X. 


aSfrtirtrag of <£ur ftaton ifcarn. 








Judith. 


Who killed Holofernes. 






Matrona. 








Athanasia. 








jRfnfl BabfO of Htfjtonfa. 


Who instituted the feast of the 
cross in Abyssinia. 






Datarca. 








Likeness of the Holy Virgin, painted by 








Lukas. 




8. 


XI. 


Panephysis. 

Cornelius. 

The blessed Theodora. 

Basilides. 

The three sons of Asnae. 


The name of a female martyr ; 
and also of a town in the 
neighborhood of Alexandria. 


9. 


XII. 


^fctcijael, tlje 0rcfianael. 

The two hundred Bishops congregated at 

Ephesus. 
Aflachus and his companions. 


The twelfth of each month is 
dedicated to St. Michael. 


10. 


XIII. 


Basilius, Bishop of Cesarea. 
Isaac Badasaeus. 




11. 


XIV. 


Abba Agathon. 
Degana, the Priest. 




12. 


XV. 


Peter, the Hermit. 
Martyrdom of Stephen. 


/ 


13. 


XVI. 


HTuftcatfon of tjje (EfmrcJ) tn $*rusa* 


That is, her restoration by Con- 






Ion. 


stantine and Helena. 






Tobias. 








Abba Agaton. 




14. 


XVII. 


Theognosta, the Roman. 


Or rather the Greek ; she preach, 
ed the gospel in India. 






Bionflstus, ^attfatch of ^leranima. 


The fourteenth patriarch of Al- 
exandria, under the Emperor 
Decius. 






Eudoxius, the Presbyter. 
jfrast of t|)e (Slorfous Cross. 




15. 


XVIII. 


Jacob, the Ascetic. 
Mercurius. 
Nicetas, the Martyr. 
Thomas. 

Helena, i&otjet of tjie Emperor <£on= 
stantfne. 








Eustathius. 


Brought a dead child back into life, 



APPENDIX. 

Maskdrram — September. 



369 



Julian. 



Sept. 
15. 
16. 



17. 

18. 



Ethiop. 



19. 



20. 



Sept. 
xvin. 

XIX. 



xx. 

XXI. 



21. 
22. 



23. 

24. 
25. 



26. 



27. 



XXII. 



XXIII. 



XXIV. 
XXV. 



XXVI. 

XXVII. 
XXVIII. 



XXIX. 



XXX. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



Anoreus. 
Quiricus. 

gKreoorfus, tbe ^atrtarcb of ^rmetifa. 
gttijanasfus, tbe $atrtarcb of gllejiaiis* 
tirfa. 

Jfcatrflama, tbe boln Ufrjjtn anH martgj:. 
ifcatg, tbe 2£ol» VixQin. 



Justina. 

Tiberius, the Disciple. 

Qfyz tbree buriUretf antr efjjbteen 330$= 
ops. 

Matthew, the Ascetic. 

Cotolas, the brother of Axuus. 

Julius Akfahasi. 

Junius, his brother. 

Theodorus, his son. 

Aristus. 

Salama, i. e. jFrumentftw. . 

Eunobius. 
Andreas, his son. 
Tekla, the holy martyr. 
Eustathius, with his wife and sons. 



Gregorius, and his companion Quadratus. 
Sonas, tbe $ropbet. 

Kephas and Saulus. 
Barbara and Juliana. 
Obolius, son of Justus. 

Conception of ifobn in tbe toomb of 2Blf= 
jabetb. 

Eustathius. 

Thekla. 

Abadiras and his sister Iraja, martyrs. 

^btabam, Xsaac, atrtr Sacob. 



Susanna, the Chaste. 

Enkua Mariam. 

Stephen, his son. 

Btrtb of Cbrfst. 

Removal of the body of John, the Pure 

(Evangelist.) 
Arsima and her mother Agatha, with the 

Virgins. 
Abba Salusi. 
Sacob antf #obn. 
Absadius and Aaron. 
Athanasius. 
Gregorius. 



Remarks. 



There are many ot this name ; 
it is probably the second, or 
the twenty-seventh. 

The memory of the Holy Virgin 
is celebrated on the 21st of 
each month of the year. 

One of the seventy-two disciples 

of Christ. 
In the First Council of Nicaea. 



Who converted Ethiopia to Chris- 
tianity. 



A woman. 

The wife was called Theopiste, 

and the sons, Agapius and 

Theopistus. 



The same as above, xxiii. 

Abadirus instead of Obed-Edom. 
These Patriarchs have this day 

in each month of the Ethiopic 

calendar. 

i. e. the Gem of Mary. 
Celebrated twelve times a year. 



The Apostles, sons of Zebedee. 



End of the Abyssinian month Maskdrram. 



370 



APPENDIX. 



TEKEMT— OCTOBER. 



SECOND MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Sept. 


Oct. 






28. 


I. 


Anastasia, a martyr of Rome. 
Susanna, the Virgin. 








Jttattfja, sfster of Ha?a*iu» arrti ifcarg. 




29. 


II. 


Severus, Bishop of Antiochia. 




30. 


III. 


Theodora, daughter of Arcadius, the King. 




Oct. 




Simeon. 


The fifty-first Patriarch. 


1. 


IV. 


Ananias, who baptized St. Paul. 

Bacus. 

Papa and Mamma. 


He is called an Apostle, and is 
said to have been made Bish- 
op of Damascus. 






^brefja arrti ^tjuejja. 


These two brothers were the first 
Christian Emperors of Ethio- 
pia, converted to Christianity 
by St. Frumentius. 






Guebra-Christos. 


i. e. servant of Christ. 


2. 


V. 


Cyriacus and his mother Hanna. 
Admonius. 




3. 


VI. 


Monisms, tlje ^reopaju'te. 

Usifos and Urianos. 

Antonius and Rawak, martyrs. 








3Pautaleou. 


One of the nine Ethiopic saints. 






Hermolaus, the Presbyter. 


- 






Hermacletus and Anamaeus. 


The brothers of the former. 






$aulus, patriate!) of @onstanttnoj)le. 








Batzalota Michael. 








Hanna, mother of Samuel. 




4. 


VII. 


Cyprianus. 

Justina. 

Abba Baula, the Just. 

Menas and Hasina. 




5. 


VIII. 


Horus and Agatho, children of Susanna. 
Metras. 




6. 


IX. 


Stomas, jostle of Xrrtna. 

Athanasius, Patriarch of Antiochia. 
Stephanus, son of Basilides. 
SLiuerfus, 33atriarcl) of 2&ome. 
Emperor David, of Ethiopia. 


« 


7. 


X. 


Sergius. 


Vide Hedar, xix. 


8. 


XI. 


Jacob, Patriarch of Antiochia. 








Humemus, ^atrfarcft of &lejrantma. 


He was the seventh. 


9. 


XII. 


itttrijael, tlje ^rdjaujjel. 

iWatttjcu), tlje lEuaiiflelfst anK jostle. 








©emetrfus, 39atrfarcft of gUejrarrtma. 


He was the twelfth. 


10. 


XIII. 


Ptolemachus and his Brothers, the Martyrs. 
Paulus and Zacharias, Ascetics. 




11. 


XIV. 


3P!)flty, tlje jostle. 
Moses, the Monk. 


Of Caesarea. 






Guebra-Christos. 


Vide Tekemt, iv. 






Jtttcijael, called gfrafiatot. 


i. e. Senex, cne of the nine Abys- 
sinian saints. 


12. 


XV. 


Azkirus and Cyriacus. 

Silas. 

Bifamon of Nicomedia. 




13. 


XVI. 


Abba Agathus, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The thirty-ninth. 



APPENDIX. 

Tekemt — October. 



371 



Julian. Ethiop. 



Oct. 
13. 

14. 



15. 
16. 



17. 

18. 



19. 
20. 

21. 



22. 

23. 

24. 
25. 



26. 



27. 



Oct. 

XVI. 



XVII. 



XVIII. 
XIX. 



XX. 
XXI. 



XXII. 
XXIII. 



XXIV. 



XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII 



XXIX. 



XXX. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



Macrobius. 

Petrus. 

miostovus, $attfatcf) of &le?attfjrta. 

Filjas, Bishop of Tamois. 

Birth of Hanna. 

Steplmmis, t|)e iFfrst l&attsr. 

©tjcopfjtlus, $atrfatci) of &le*:ano"rfa. 

Romanus, the Martyr. 

Johannes and Kedwa maza. 

Jemrah, a martyr. 



Bartholomew, the Martyr. 

The thirteen Bishops. 

Simeon. 

Hifja, tfie $top!)et 

J£ar£, t&e 2£ol2 UivQin. 

Matthias. 

Joel, tfje }$ropt)et 

Lazarus. 

2Lucas, tfce IBuatijjeltst 

#osepf), patriate!) of ^lepautotta. 

Dionysius, the Bishop. 

Hilario. 

Paulus and his companion. 

The Holy Zaina, a martyr. 

Tzabala Mariam. 

Aba Abib, the Monk. 

Julius. 

Timonas. 

Huras, the Martyr. 

Abba Macarius, the Martyr, Bishop of Kau. 

gforatjam, Esaac, atrtr Sacoo, 

Abba Jemata. 
Marcianus and Mercurius. 

asivtt) of mjxiat 

Demetrius, the Martyr. 
Sektar. 

2Bmperor fisaac. 
Abraham, the Poor. 



Remarks. 



Of Ethiopia. 
End of the Abyssinian Month, Tekemt. 



Vide Maskarram, vii. 

Mother of Samuel. 

The three-and-twentieth. 



On the spot where his blood was 
spilt, there grew up a fine vine. 



At Antiochia 



Redeemed from prison by the 
Holy Virgin. 



He was the fifty-second. 



Kau was a town on the Upper 

Nile. 

They were disciples of Paulus, 
Patriarch of Constantinople. 



HEDAR— NOVEMBER. 

THIRD MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Oct. 
28. 

29. 


Nov. 
i. 
ii. 


Maximus. Victor, Philip 
.Sanftfua, patriate!) of gle^atrtma. 
39etrus, ^atciatcjj of ^lepantirCa. 
Naak weto-Laab . 


The sixty-third. 

The twenty-seventh. 

The last Emperor of Ethiopia, of 

the family of Zague. He did 

not die. 



372 



APPENDIX. 

Heddr — November. 






Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Oct. 


Nov. 






30. 


III. 


?$abafcfcufc, tt>c $roj)&et 








Cyriacus. 


Whose dead body remained long 
uncorrupted. 






Athanasius and Iraeus, martyrs. 




31. 


IV. 


Jacob and Johannes, Bishops of Persia. 
Thomas, companion of Zacharias, Bishops 

of Damascus. 
Epimachus and Acirianus. 








Johannes and Abaidus, disciples to the 


• 


Nov. 




latter. 




1. 


v. 


Timotheus, martyr. 

Longinus. 

Removal of the body of Mar-Theodor. 




2. 


VI. 


jFlffltrt of <tf>xlst from J&eijsa to 3&os* 








ftuama. 


Places in Egypt. 






Josa, daughter of Joseph of Arimathaea. 








Felix, Archbishop of Rome. 




3. 


VII. 


Georgius, one of the first martyrs. 
Abba Rehru. 


Of Alexandria. 






Menas, Bishop of Tamoi. 


In Egypt. 






Mercurius and Johannes. 








Zenobius and Zenobia. 


Martyrs under Dioclesian. 


4. 


VIII. 


Abba Kefri. 








The Four Cherubim. 


That is the Four Beasts. Apo- 
calyps., iv. 6. 






Egzie Kebra. 








Johannes, showing to Constantinus the 








Cross. 








Amen, an angel. 








Constantms, seeCnjj tjje Cross. 


With the significant words, " With 
that ensign thou wilt be victo- 
rious." 


5. 


IX . 


Ksaac tfte #ust, ^atrfarci) of ^leran- 

tirta. 
2TJ)e ccerbm Jfatfters, assembled at Wt= 

caea. 


The forty-first. 


6. 


X. 


The Virgins, killed by Julian. 








Meeting of Priests for the settling of the 


Under Demetrius, Patriarch of 






Epacts. 


Alexandria. 






Guebra Mariam. 




7. 


XI. 


j^ana, ©fratrtrmotfter of €ftrfst 


Her husband was Joachim Cleo- 
phas. 






Archelaus and Elisa. 






Menas and his mother Urania. 




8. 


XII. 


i&fcijael, t|je ^rcfianfleL 








^tnlotfieus, ISatrfarcfc of &Ietantorfa. 


The sixty-third. 






Adamas. 








Seraphim and Cherubim. 




9. 


xm. 


Ascanafrus. 

Timotheus, Bishop of Esnae. 


Cured a paralytic person. 






^acfiarfas, $atrfarc|) of ^lerantrrfa. 


The sixty-fourth ; he was be- 






Johannes, the Priest. 


smeared with blood and cast 
before lions, but remained un- 
touched. 






Martianus, Bishop of Thracia. 


He was driven from his see by 
the Arians, and, after a long 
journey, raised a dead body to 
life. 

Who baptized a king of Persia. 


10. 


XIV. 


Daniel, the Monk. 






The Maccabeans. 








APPENDIX. 

Hedd r — November. 



373 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and llstivals. 


Remarks. 


Nov. 


Nov. 






11. 


XV. 


Menas, a martyr. 








Abba Menas, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The sixty-first. 






Dedication of the church of Pachomius. 








Victor. 








Seoftat 


Beginning of the Fast before 
Christmas, called Hodadi. 






Jatia, a female martyr. 




12. 


XVI. 


Stooreus, Itftis, auto fits comjjartfon. 








Daniel, the Antistes. 


" Who put on angels' clotning," 
i. e. became a monk. 






Aulacetus. 








Cerius, called John the Piteous. 


At the time of Heraclius, forty- 
first Patriarch of Alexandria. 






Cistus, a martyr. 








Dedication of the church of Abunafer, in 


Abunafer, called Onuphrius in 






Egypt- 


Greek, was a hermit. His 
church was above Memphis. 


13. 


XVII. 


Abraham and his wife. 

Harica and Kedoosa Amlac, their sons. 

The hundred Anchorites in the desert of 

Watzif. 
Abba Sinodius. 








JJoftannes iftfjrssostoiuu*. 


The day of the removal of his re- 
mains to Constantinople. 


14. 


XVIII. 


Jona and Atrasessa. 
»lfp, the Apostle. 
Eleutherus and Enthia. 
Athanasius. 


Female martyrs. 


15. 


XIX. 


Theophilus, and his wife Patritia, and their 
son Damalius. 








Dedication of the church of Sergius. 


His dead body sent forth an 
agreeable odor. 






iSart&olometo, tfje jostle. 




16. 


XX. 


^naiifas, $atrfarcfi of gClepatrtrtfa. 

Theodorus, the martyr. 


The second, successor of St. 
Mark. 


17. 


XXI. 


i&ars, tfje ^olg Vix&in. 
€Kregottus £Jmumaturrjuff. 








Cosmus, Metropolite. 


Uncertain, whether the fifty- 
fourth Patriarch of Alexandria 
or not. It is said, that the 
image of Mary shed tears 
when it beheld his excruci- 
ating tortures. 






Johannes of Sijut. 




18. 


XXII. 


Alphaeus, Romanus, and Zachaeus, of As- 
munaja, with their companions. 

The children of Theodata. 

The two hundred and ninety-two brothers 
and forty-nine sisters of Cosmus. 




19. 


XXIII. 


©oaotaa. 


Who fed the prophets in the cave 
at the time .of King Ahab. 
1 Chron. xviii. 13. 






Cornelius. 


One of the seventy-two disciples. 


20. 


XXTV. 


Seraphim. 








The twenty-eight Elders. 


Apocalyps. iv. 4. 






Azkirus and Cyriacus. 




21. 


XXV. 


Mercurius, the Roman. 




22. 


XXVI. 


£fte i&attsrs of !tf egra. 
Selarianus, with his sister Tatusbaya. 


340 under their leader Aretas. 


. 




^toflorfus, 3Sf»|)op of Ngssa. 





374 



APPENDIX. 
Heddr — November. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Nov. 


Nov. 






22. 


XXVI. 


Jesus-Moa. 


i. e. Jesus has overcome : a man's 
name. 


23. 


XXVII. 


Jacob, the martyr. 

Philemon, the Apostle. 
Tekla Hawaryat. 
Guebra- Johannes . 
Timotheus, and his wife Mora. 
Sarabamon, Bishop of Nagos. 


Was cut midways asunder, but 
prayed still as half a body. 


24. 


XX VIII. 


gflbba 3Lffcanus. 

gflbrafjam, fisaac, anU Jfacoo. 


One of the nine Abyssinian saints. 


25. 


XXIX. 


mvft) of <£f)rfst i 








Petrus, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The twenty-ninth. He kept the 
people of Mermoken from he- 
resy. 






Clemens, disciple of Petros. 








Guebra- Maskal. 


i. e. Servant of the Cross, Em- 
peror of Ethiopia. 


26. 


XXX. 


Acacius, successor of Anatolius, Bishop of 

Constantinople. 
Guebra-Maskal, Emperor of Ethiopia.- 
Gregorius. 






Here endetk the month Hedar. 



TAHSAS— DECEMBER. 



FOURTH MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Nov. 


Dec. 






27. 


i. 


Asnadius, Patriarch of Alexandria. 

IBlfas, tlje $rop!)et 
Petrus, Bishop of Gaza. 


The seventy-seventh. 






Jfoiwnnes, $atrfarcj) of ^PU^antrrta. 


The fortieth ; he built the church 
of St. Mark in Alexandria. 






Auctianus. 




28. 


n. 


Sadrach, Mesach, and Abednego. 








Abba Hor, with thirty-two martyrs. 


Hor brought a dead child to life 
again, of whose death he stood 
accused. 


29. 


in. 


J&atg entering t£e fcemple. 

Phanuel, Archbishop. 




30. 


IV. 


ahxtoreas, t|je jostle. 




Dec. 








1. 


v. 


Ttfabum, the $ropl>et 

Eleutherus, a martyr. 

Eugenia, daughter of King Philip. 








Arsima. 


Vide Maskarram, xxix. 






Johannes. 


Called " Ghostly Father." 






Theodorus. 








Victor, a bishop. 




2. 


VT. 


Transfer of the body of Arsima. 
Anatolius, a presbyter and martyr. 




' 




abratmin, ^atrfaref) of SUeyantafa. 


The Sixty-second. 






Simeon. 


Otherwise called " Afa Mariam. 






Eliabus. 





APPENDIX. 



375 



Tahsas — December. 



Julian 


' Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Bern arks. 


Dec. 


Dec. 






3. 


VII. 


Matthaeus, the Poor. 








Daniel, the Monk. 








Eulogius. 








Diontyras. 




4. 


VIII. 


Johannes of Damascus. 
Esi, and his sister Tekla. 








3£eraclas, ^airfare!) of gtejrantfrfa. 


The thirteenth. 






Barbara. 








Anba, i. e. Abba Marina. 


Was discovered after death to 
have been a woman. 


5. 


IX. 


Saba, a martyr. 


Was thrown into a hot oven. 


6. 


X. 


SEfieoptmnfus, a patriate!) of &l*j:an= 
tirfa. 

Severas, a lather of Antioch. 
Nfcolaus, Msftop of i&jra. 
Thalassius and Eleazar. 
Advent of the body of Severus. 
Sursita of Constantinople. 


The sixtieth. 


7. 


XI. 


iBacijomtus anH 3Bartt)olomaeus, 38tsto= 
ops. 

Theodorus. 


i 


8. 


XII. 


i&fcfiad, tfie ^rctansel. 

Anicetus and Photinus, martyrs. ■ 

Hydra of Syene. 

Sixty Bishops against Benatus at Rome. 








Abba Samuel, of Waldubba. 




9. 


XIII. 


25tapf)ael, tlje &rc|)ano;el. 

Macarius. 
Barsufius. 
Abracius. 








Mizael, a deacon. 


Anchorite of the Convent Kel- 
mon. 


10. 


XIV. 


Mermena. 








Simeon Behor and Menas. 








Abba, Guebra-Christos, Patriarch of Alex- 


The sixty-seventh. 






andria. 








Ammonius. 








Nasahita, a royal daughter. 








Arianus, a presbyter. 








Arshaledes, his brother. 


' 


11. 


XV. 


Gregorius, Bishop of Armenia. 








Ultras, tfie Stglfte. 


Every seventh day he ate a little 
bread, the six other days he 
fasted. 






Abba Jemsah. 








Eustathius. 




12. 


XVI. 


Conception of St i&atj. 








Ananias and Cazius. 


i 






Abba Herwag, a martyr. 








Gideon, Leader of the Israelites. 


| 


13. 


XVII. 


Transfer of the body of Lucas, the Stylite. 


, 


14. 


XVIII. 


Heraclas, the Martyr. 
Philemon, the Hermit. 
mtus, Msctple of St $aul 


Many of that name. 






Salama, i. e. jFrumentfus. 


Apostle of the Ethiopians. 


15. 


XIX. 


Gabriel, tfie gtrcftanael. 








Johannes, the Priest. 


Vide Hedar xiii. 


16. 


XX. 


^aauaf, the $ropfjet 




17. 


XXI. 


ifcari), ttje ^olj VlxQin. 

Barnabas of Cyprus. 




• 18. 


XXII. 


Decisius, of Rome. 





376 



APPENDIX. 

Tahsds — December. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Dec. 


Dec. 






18. 


XXII. 


Anastasius, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Archelaus, Bishop. 


The seventeenth. 


19. 


XXIII. 


30abm, Htfmj of Ksrael. 

Abba Timotheus. 
Isaac. 


* 






Samuel, and his sons Simeon and Gabriel. 


Made fire fall from heaven. 


20. 


XXIV. 


Mbba. $)aulf. 
Jeremias, the Prophet. 
Obolius. 
Xanatfus, a martgr. 

Fulgosius. 








Seftla l^afmanot. 


Who introduced monastic life in 
Ethiopia. 






Esther, Queen of Persia. 




21. 


XXV. 


Maccabasi, the martyrs. 








Johannes Cama. 


His fingers and nails seemed 
burning like candles during 
prayer. 






Abba Darudi. 




22. 


XXVI. 


Anastasia, a martyr. 
Juliana. 




23. 


XXVII. 


Abba Abashadi, a "martyr-bishop. 
Abba Hellanikus, Bishop of Egypt. 
Abba Bege. 
Philip, a monk. 




24. 


XXVIII. 


Jffeast of @?ena. 

&brafoam, fisaac, atiK JJacob. 

Paulus, a martyr. 


That is, Christmas-eve. 


25. 


XXIX. 


3Sfrtf) of our SLortr JJesus &§xi*t 
ffibe Hfnfls of .Saba. 


In 1843, the birth of our Saviour 
fell on the 5th of January. 






The martyrs of Achmim. 


A town in Thebais. 






Korilas and Abba Gize. 








Acarius. 




26. 


XXX. 


2Ebe finnocent €ftfHiren. 
Johannes, the Master. 
Johannes, the Woman-hater. 
Zacharias, a hermit. 






Here endeth the month Tahi 


ids. 



TEIU-JANUARY. 

FIFTH MONTH. 



■ 

Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Dec. 


Jan. 






27. 


i. 


Stepbanus, tbe jfftst martgr. 
Dioscorus and JEsculapius, the companions. 
Leontius, a martyr. 








Marcarius, the Patriarch of Alexandria. 


There were two of this name : 
the sixty-ninth is here meant. 


28. 


ii. 


Abel, brother to Cain. 








Sabela. 


A woman renowned for inter- 
preting dreams. 






Hellanicus. 





APPENDIX. 
Ter — January. 



377 



Julian. 



Ethiop. 



Dec. 

28. 



29. 



30. 
31. 



Jan. 
1. 



2. 

3. 



7, 



10. 
11. 



Jan. 

n. 



in. 



IV. 

v. 



VI. 



vn. 



VIII. 



IX. 

x. 

XI. 



XII. 



XIII. 



XIV. 



XVI. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



2Fbeonas, $atrfarcb of atferarrtma. 

Abba Sinoda, or Sinodius. 

Ksafaf), tbe $roj)bet. 

2Tfic innocent (ftintoren. 

&bba Sitbauus. 

Adhanius and Astea, his companions. 

Ammonius. 

Jofm, tbe Apostle. 

Ausgenius, a martyr. 



Matthew, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Ausia. 

2Sastlfus. 
Abba Moses. 

Marcianus, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
<£trcumcfsion of €:trfst. 
Peter of Sola. 
2Egpbrem, tbe <S»rfan. 
Adranicus, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Benjamin, ^atrfarci) of gtterantma. 
Dedication of the Church of St. Macarius. 
j-ftalacbfas, tfte lironftet. 
Abraham. 
Fast, called Bahed. 
Synod of Alexandria. 
38aj) tf sm of <ftbrfst. 
Justus and Guedebus. 
Anatolius. 

Johannes, the Elder, Patriarch of Alexan- 
dria. 



Nuptials of <2fcana in ©fatflee. 
Jttfrijael, tl;e ^rcbanrjel. 

Theodorus of the East. 
•Leontius and Benikarus. 
Third feast of Epiphany. 
STfie Seben Sleepers. 



Nacaro. 

Mehraela, a martyr. 

Abhor, her brother. 

Emraisa. 

Maximus. 

Arshaledes. 

Cyriacus and his mother. 

Abdias, follower of Elias. 

Cyriacus. 

Gregorius, Bishop of Sophorea. 

Daniel, the Woman-hater. 



Ijaluta, mother of Cyriacus, 
Philotheus, a martyr. 



Remarks. 



The sixteenth, called " Column 
of the Church." 

Also on the vi. of Maskarram. 

14,440 in number. 

Brought water out of a rock. 

Also on the xiv. of Tahsas. 

He interpreted the sign, which 
Constantine the Great saw in 
the Heavens, and was be- 
headed in the 110th year of 
his age. 

The eighty-eighth. 



The eighth. 



The thirty-seventh. 
The thirty-eighth. 



On the eve of Epiphany. 
The Epiphany. 



The seventy-fourth ; gave so 
many alms, that of 20,000 
denars not one single obol was 
left to himself. 



The former also on the i. of Ter. 

Called Arsaladis, Duomidos, Au- 
gameos, Demetrius, Burotos, 
Stephanos, and Cyriacus. 



Also on the xiv. of Tahsas. 
Also on the xxm. of Hedar. 



Vowed never to look at a wo- 
man, as did Johannes, whose 
festival is observed on the xxx. 
of Tahsas. 



378 



APPENDIX. 

Ter — January. 



Julian. 

Jan. 
11. 



12. 
13. 

14. 



15. 



16. 



17. 

18. 



19. 

20. 

21. 

22. 

23. 
24. 



25. 



Ethiop. 



Jan. 

XVI. 



XVII. 
XVIII. 



XIX. 



XX. 



XXI. 



XXII. 
XXIII. 



XXIV. 
XXV. 

XXVI. 

xxvir. 
xxvin. 

XXIX. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



XXX. 



Palladius. 

Johannes, liatrtarcf) of glerantiria. 



Dumatheus, brother of Maximus. 

Jacob of Nisibe. 

St. George. / 

The Behuraeans, with their mother Nera. 

Jafkerana-Egzia. 

Dedication of the Church of the Martyrs at 

Esnae. 
Prochorus, a bishop. 
Abcluzius. 

Behnu, a holy martyress. 
Abba Nabjud. 

33eati) of our 3Latrg i&arg. 
Hilaria, the hermit. 
Gregorius. 

$mmta&, tf)e $ropi)et. 
Paulus and Silas, martyrs. 
Johannes. 
Caustus. 
Antonius. 
Timotheus. 

CijeoTiosTus, t|)e ISmpztox. 

Georgius and Mercora. 

Abshadius, the Presbyter. 

Bifaof Sofia. 

Petrus. 

Sebastian. 

Ascelas, a martyr. 

The forty-nine old hermits. 

Joseph, the Almsgiver.* 

Abba Bifamon. 

Serapio. 

Transfer of the body of Timotheus. 

3Enotfj. 

Suriel, Archangel. 

&brai)am, Ksaac, anti $acoo. 

Abba Acanhi, with his eight companions. 

His eight hundred companions. 

Joseph. 

Clemens, a bishop and martyr. 

aSCrtf} of ©ur 3Loro\ 

Xena. 

Stephanus. 

Cyriacus. 

The monks of the Convent Zaga-Meek\d. 

Gabra-Nazrawi. 

genets, 33atrtarcJ) of &lerantma. 

Chrestus. 

Mary and Martha, the Virgins. 

Tekla and Abjd. 

Irene. 



Remarks. 



Seems to be the fortieth, who 
died on that day, having pre- 
dicted so of himself. 



i. e. " Friend of God." 



A town in Egypt. 
Of Nicomedia. 



Founder of monastic life. 
Disciple of St. Paul, and Bishop 
of Ephesus. 



To Constantinople. 

In Gojam. 

Was saved out of a fiery oven. 



In the country of the Agows. 
The forty-seventh. 



Here endeth the month Ter. 



APPENDIX. 



379 



YEKATIT— FEBRUARY 

SIXTH MONTH. 



Julian. 



Ethiop. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



Remarks. 



Jan. 
26. 



27. 



28. 



29. 



30. 



Feb. 



in. 



IV. 



31. 



Feb. 
1. 



4. 



VI. 



VII. 



VIII. 



XI. 
XII. 

xm. 



The Fathers of the (Ecumenic Council of 
Constantinople. 

Dedication of the Church of Peter, Patri- 
arch of Alexandria. 

Thomas. 

Paulius, the Hermit, of Alexandria. 

Longinus. 

Jacob, a monk. 

Zeno, the Thaumaturgos. 

Transfer of the body of Ephrem, the Syrian. 

JFast of €fjrfst 

Agabus, apostle. 

Zacharias, 

01jrfnpfnus, $atrtarcf) of ^lerantrcfa. 

Bessoi, called Peter. 

Nobus. 

S^fpnolgtus. 



Transfer of the bones of the 49 martyrs. 
Abba Ebloi. 
Abba Eblo. 
Amnion and Esia. 

2Ti)e oofcg of ^tppolgtus, recoberefc from 

tt>e sea. 
Abukir and Johannes. 
Amogi and Athanasia. 
Maria 

Alexander, Metropolite of Alexandria. 
2Tf)eoaorus, $atrfarcj) of ^letanfcrfa. 

(ftfjnst enters t&e temple. 

Simeon, tf>e ^roptjet 

?^anna, tfje $roj)fjetess. 

Eiias. 

Three female hermits. 

Transfer of the body of Joseph. 

Death of Barsuma. 

Paulus, with Esi and Thekla. 

Saeobus, tt)e jostle antr J&artjr. 

St. Just. 

ISjra. 

Felo, a bishop of Persia. 

Belatianus, Bishop of Rome. 

Leoninus Eulogius. 

Abba Betra, disciple of Sylvan. 

ittfctrael, tjje &rcfjano,el. 

Gallius, a deacon. 

Sergius, the Ascetic. 

Srmotfjeus, $atrtarcfj of Stlerattiirta. 

Victor. 



150 bishops. 



Also on the vn. of Ter. 
Beginning of Quadragesima. 

The tenth. 



Bishop of Rome. Sentenced to 
be drowned ; he did not sink 
in spite of a heavy stone fas- 
tened to his feet. 

Two different persons. 



Who bathed Christ's feet. 

The thirty-third. 

The forty-fifth. Anniversary of 

his death. 
Or Mary's purification. 



The thirty-second. 



380 



APPENDIX. 

Yekdtit — February. 



Julian. 



Ethiop. 



Feb. 
7. 



10. 



11. 
12. 

13. 



14. 
15. 



16. 
17. 

18. 

19. 



20. 
21. 



22. 



23. 



24. 



Feb. 

XIII. 



XIV. 



XV. 



XVI. 



XVII. 
XVIII. 



XIX. 



XX. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



XXII. 
XXIII. 
XXIV. 

XXV. 



XXVI. 



XXVII. 



XXVIII. 



XXIX. 



XXX. 



Eusebius. 



Jacobus. 

Ct^rfllus, ^atrtarc!) of Stterarrtma. 

Severus, Patriarch of Antiochia. 

Johannes. 

Zacharias. 

Bebnuda. 

Inauguration of the Church of the Forty 

Warriors. 
J»arr>, tt)c ?9oIi> VixQin. 
Hluabeti), .fEotljet of St. Jofin. 
Death of Moses, the Legislator. 
Menas, Bishop of Achmim. 
Abba Abraham. 

Melanius, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Transfer of the body of Martianus. 
$ettus, patriarch of SUeranttrta. 



Basilius, Theodosius, and Timotheus. 

Philemon. 

#larr> tije 2£olw l T irfitn. 

Gfatmcl, liatriavcft of SUctattima. 

Zacharius, Theodosius, and Timotheus. 
©ncsfmu's, IBfsrijplc of $aul. 

Maruna, a bishop. 

Eusebius, son of Basilides, a martyr. 

Matthias and Timotheus. 

Agapetus, bishop. 

Ausanius. 

Philemon and 

2Lucia, tlje Virgin. 
j Konas, a deacon. 

Menas and Elmadius 
j Abu Phanas. 
j Antonius Raweh. 
; ?£oseas t|)c $ropf>et. 
1 Sadok, a martyr. 

Anastasius. 

Eustathius of Antioch. 

afotafjam, Xsaac, an* Jacob. 

Theodorus, the Roman. 

Birti) of ertirist. 

Polycarpus ? the Priest. 

The head of John Crysostom recovered. 



Remarks. 



Being threatened to be burnt, he 
was taken to heaven by Uriel 
the archangel, and remained 
there for fourteen years. 

He resuscitated a dead child. 

The twenty-fourth. 



From Athens to Antiochia. 

The twenty-first, successor of 
Athanasius. This is the anni- 
versary of his death. 



The fifty-eighth 
his death. 



anniversary of 



Was slain, with 2008 others, by 
a King of Persia. 



Bishop of Smyrna. 



Here endeth the month Yekatit. 



APPENDIX. 



381 



MAGABIT— MARCH. 

SEVENTH MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


i 

Remarks. 


Feb. 


March. 






25 


i. 


Barkisus, Bishop of Jerusalem. 
Mercurius, Bishop, and his companion 

Alexander. 
Methusalem. 
Macareus, Bishop. 




26. 


ii. 


Gregorius of Roha. 




27. 


in. 


€osmus, patriate!) of Slerantma. 

Abba Berfonius. 


The forty-fourth. 


28. 


IV. 


The bishops assembled on account of the 

Paschal. 
Sophoreus. 
Hanulius of Terha. 


Probably the Council of Nicaea. 


March. 




CSasma, ^airfare!) of &lerant»rta. 


The fifty-eighth. 


1. 


V. 


Sarabamon, a martyr. 

Eudoxia. 

Abba Germanos. 


Also on the xxvni. of Hed&r. 






@ruebra=J&anfas Itettoos. 


One of the principal Ethiopian 
Saints. 


2. 


VI. 


Dioscorus, a martyr. 
EJjeotiosfus, tfic ISmpzxQX. 
Raphael, the Archangel. 
Antanes and Arkaradis. 




3. 


VII. 


Apollonius. 
Philemon. 








Theodotus, a martyr. 


Beaten by the people of Athens. 


4. 


VIII. 


J&attfifas, tbe Apostle. 

Arianus. 








Jnltanus, IBatriardj of SUerantoria. 


The eleventh. 






Sfie i&eben Sleepers. 




5. 


IX. 


Andrianus. 
Eusebius and Arma. 
Cuetenus. 




6. 


X. 


Enoentton of tbe J^olj Cross. 


First in Jerusalem, then in Persia. 






Abba Alef. 


One of the nine Abyssinian Saints. 


7. 


XI. 


Basilius, a bishop of Hermon. 


Also on the xin. of Maskarram, 
and in. of Ter. 






Theodicianus. 


Of Alexandria. 


8. 


XII. 


Jf&fcfiael, tt)e &rri)anfiel. 








©emetrius, 3PatrtarrJ of &lerantma. 


The twelfth, also on the xn. of 






Melagius, a martyr. 


Tekemt. 






Sosepl) son of #acob. 




9. 


XIII. 


Hfonatfieus, ^atrtatci) of ^lerantirfa. 


The forty-fourth. 






Forty Martyrs. 


Of Sebaste. 






Markaras, the Elder, and Macarius his 


Of Alexandria. 






brother. 




10. 


XIV. 


Thomas. 

Cyrillus Johannes. 

Senodius. 

Eugenius, Eugander, and Abilandius. 

Abba Batli. 




11. 


xv. 


Sara. 

Helias, a martyr of the town Annas. 

Siphoneus. 

Selaphicus, and his bride Stratonica. 


1 


12. 


XVI. 


ittfcfiael, tbe $atrfarcfc. 


The forty-sixth. 



382 



APPENDIX. 

Magabit — March. 



Julian. 



Ethiop. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



Remarks. 



March. 
13. 



14. 
15. 



16. 



17. 



18. 

19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 

23. 



24. 

25. 

26. 



March 

XVII. 



XVIII. 
XIX. 



xx. 



XXI. 



XXII. 

XXIII. 
XXIV. 
XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 



XXVIII, 

XXIX. 
XXX. 



Theocritus. 

SLa;arus, JhrientJ of Christ. 

Georgius, Thalassius, and 

Josephus, the Bishop. 

^flboa (Sat t ma. 

Isodorus, a martyr of Ferma. 

Aristobulus, friend of St. Paul. 

Alexander and Agapius, of Gaza. 

Nemelius and Denasius. 

Askanafer, with his wife Marita, and his 

children Arcadius and Johannes. 
Romelius and Thalassius. 
Stratonica. 
ifcichael, patriarch of gUerantrria. 

Aakaranus. 

6197 Martyrs. 

Resuscitation of Lazarus. 

i&arp, the 29clr> Virgin. 

Lamech. 

Theodorus and Timotheus, martyrs. 

Christ's Sfabent tn Jerusalem. 

C^tillus, 33fshou of Jerusalem. 

Baniel, the prophet 

Macarius, patriarch of ^leranoria. 

Onesiphorus. 

Farius, the Holy. 

Eupraxia. 

Amata-Hanna, and Amata-Wahed. 

.Sufferfujjs of Christ 

Stephanus, the martyr. 

Macarius, chief of the convent in Shihat. 

The Martyrs of Eshla. 

Abraham, £saac, anti Jacob. 

Constantfne, the Hmperor. 

Helena. 

Conception of Christ. 

jFcast of the Resurrection. 

(Gabriel, the ^rchancjel. 

Simeon, the Nasiraean. 

Jacob, a martyr. 

Johannes. 



Here endeth the month Magabit. 



One of the nine Abyssinian saints 



The fifty-seventh. Anniversary 
of his death. 



Palm Sunday. 



The fifty. ninth. 



Amat, signifies " a servant. 



MIAZIAH— APRIL. 

EIGHTH MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. Remarks. j 


March. 
27. 


April, 
i. 


&aron, the 3£fflh priest 

Silvanus. 

Macarius, and his sons. 


28. 


n. 


Simeon. 


29. 


m. 


Christophorus. 1 
Johannes, Bishop of Jerusalem. i 



APPENDIX. 

Miaziah — April. 



363 



1 Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


March. 


April. 






29. 


in. 


M.rrcaeus and Fekurus. 








iUfclmd, }9atrtardj of .SUcpantrria. 


The seventy-first. 






Semrata Zion. 


i. e. u Beloved of Zion." 


30. 


IV. 


Victor, Dacius, and Ermo. 




| 31. 


v. 


H?cfctd, tfie ^ropfiet 




April. 




Dioscorus, the Silent. 




1. 


VI. 


Sfaani and Hue. 








Hntrancc of ®firfst into ti)e jFeasttnp, 


Eight days from Paschal. 






Ctjamucr; 








ittari) of Ha»j)t, to^ont Zosimus in- 








ter/reo*. 








Xoafi. 




2. 


VII. 


Soadnm, aranotatijer of (ftfctfst. 
Agabus, Theodorus, and Macrobius, sons 
of Moses. 




3. 


VIII. 


Abba Timotheus. 

Agapis, Ariana, and Asnonia, virgins. 

Leba-aragut. 

The 150 martyrs in Persia. 




4. 


IX. 


Sbanttftts, ^atrfarct) of glevanoria. 

Zosimus. 


The fifty-fifth. 


5. 


X. 


Isaac, the Ascetic. 








ffifabrtd, }3atnardj of gileparrtirfa. 


The seventieth. 


6. 


XI. 


Theodora,, the Munificent. 
Johannes, Bishop of Gaza. 




7. 


XII. 


Gajus and Esdras. 
*&fd)ad, tijc Strdjangd. 
3Uevarrtier, liatrtard) of stlejcantrvfa. 
Antonius, a bishop, and Lukas. 




8. 


XIII. 


Jaso and Josephus. 

The deaconess Dionysia and Gelvas, mar- 
tyrs. 


Disciples of Melius. 


9. 


XIV. 


iSlapmus, ^atrfarcft of stlejrauTrria. 

Abib. 


The fifteenth ; died on this day. 


10. 


XV. 


$ofin, tfie iSapttst. 

Mcolaus, 33fsl)ojp of if^ora. 

Alexandra, martyr. 

Dedication of the Church of Nicolaus. 








Agabus. 


Vide Acts, xxi. 2. 


11. 


XVI. 


Antippas, disciple of John. 




12. 


XVII. 


Jacob, tbe Apostle. 
Zara Mariam. 
Melchizedek. 




13. 


XVIII. 


iFcast of jtlacab. 

Eusebius, servant of Susneus. 

Peter, a martyr, along with Abba Besoi. 


Between Paschal and Pentecoste. 


14. 


XIX. 


Simeon, Bishop of Armenia, 




15. 


XX. 


Bebnuda, a martyr of Tentyra. 
Cyrillus, with his wife and children. 


The palm-tree on which he was 
hung, bore fruit the very same 
hour. 


16. 


XXI. 


ittati), tfje f^oto VixQin. 

Abratacus. 








Isaac. 


Of Horin. 


17. 


XXII. 


aUepantrer, $atrfardj of ^le^antjna. 


The nineteenth. 






Marcus, the Rich, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The forty-ninth. He redeemed 
captives at an expense of thirty 
thousand gold denars. 






Michael, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The fifty-third. 


18. 


XXTTI. 


Georgis, the martyr. 
Korus. 





384 



APPENDIX 

Miaziah — April. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


April. 


April. 






18. 


XXIII. 


Tzanas. 




19. 


XXIV. 


Samtfus, ^atrfatci) of gtfejrantiria. 


See the ix. day of Miaziah. 


20. 


XXV. 


Sarah, a martyr, with her two children. 








Bebnudas and Theodorus. 




21. 


XXVI. 


Susneus, a martyr. 
Jonas of -Nineveh. 




22. 


XXVII. 


Aboon Victor, a martyr. 

Abba Noda, Zosimus, and Stephana. 

Martha, mother of Victor. 




23. 


XXVIII. 


gbtaijatu, Xsaac, anH Jacob. 








Pistaurus, an ascetic. 


Of Maksur. After he was be- 
headed his body was seen to 
walk about at Heraclea. 






Melius, a martyr. 




24. 


XXIX. 


3Strtft of €:jmst. 
Aristus, Bishop of Beyroot. 
Abba Acius, Bishop of Jerusalem. 




25. 


XXX. 


Marcus, son of Mary. 


The Evangelist. 


'. 


Here endeth the month Miaziah. 



GENBOT— MAY. 

NINTH MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


April. 


May. 






26. 


I. 


"Matfbftg of t|)e Vtrafn i&arg. 
Bartholomew, a motropolite. 




27. 


II. 


Job, ttie patient. 

Abba Esi. 








Theodorus. 


Disciple and follower of Pacho- 
mius. 


28. 


ill. 


Abba Bessoi. 
Jason, a martyr. 




29. 


IV. 


Jofjanncs, $atrfarct) of ^lepantrrfa. 

Zosimus and Nudas, servants of Victor. 


The fortieth. Held also on the 
i. of Tahsas. 


30. 


v. 


Jeremfas, tfoe ^ropfiet. 




May. 








1. 


VI. 


Isaac of Tafra. 

Abba Macarius. 

Abba Ammon. 

Pelagia, with four children of Esnae. 

Abba Bebnuda. 

Salome, an ascetic. 


Red-hot nails were driven into 
his head. 






Dionysius. 

Senodius, the Anchorite. 




2. 


VII. 


gtttmnasfus, $atrlatcfj of ^lepatrturfa. 


The twentieth. 






John, the Liberal. 


In order to give clothes to the 
poor, he took off his own. 


3. 


VIII. 


Ascension of (Eijrist. 

Abba Daniel. 

John, the Eleemosynary. 

Maximus. 








Dionysius, with his wife and children. 





APPENDIX. 

Genbot — May. 



385 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


May. 


May. 






4. 


IX. 


Helena, ftntofna; tDe dtvoxts. 




5. 


X. 


Anania, Azaria, Mizael. 
Abraham, a martyr. 


Sadrach, Mesech, Abednego. 






Joim, 39atriarcfi of ^leranorfa. 


There are many of than tame. 






Abba Michael. 








357 martyrs. 




6. 


XI. 


Paphnutius, Bishop of Damascus. 
Euphemia. 

Sosthenes and Jektras. 
Jared. 

Tawacelia, with her son Abolius, and his 
companion Justus. 




7. 


XII. 


Apparition of the Cross in Golgotha, 
ittfclmel, tfje ^rcijanflel. 

Isicus. 

Jared, father of Enoch. 

Menas, a deacon. 

Stephanus. 

Transfer of the bones of Tekla-Haimanot. 




8. 


XIII. 


Arsenius, of Rome, who educated the two 
princes. 




9. 


XIV. 


Symmachus. 

Belamon. 

gtfbua $acf)omtus. 




10. 


XV. 


Four hundred warriors with Menas the 
Deacon. 








Netoaja=<3:im8tos. 


i. e. " Property of Christ ;" an 
emperor of Ethiopia. 






Nathanael, a martyr. 




11. 


XVI. 


Jesu Sirach, the Ecclesiastes. 
Transfer of the body of St. John, the 
Apostle. 




12. 


XVII. 


Epiphanius, an Antistes in Cyprus. 






• 


Lucianus. 


A converted Jew. Gave his 
own garment to a naked man, 
and received for it another 
one from heaven. 


13. 


XVIII. 


descent of tlje 2&QI5 @fi)ost. 
Abba Garga, with Abraham. 
Isidorus, son of Belandius. 




14. 


XIX. 


Senodius. 

Isaac, a monk and presbyter. 

80,107 martyrs with Isodorus. 

Joseph. 




15. 


XX. 


<£aleb or ©lesoaas. 
Ammonius of Tona. 
Sedeza, disciple of Ammonius 
Behor, follower of the same. 
Abba Derma, an anchorite. 


A king of Ethiopia. 


16. 


XXI. 


f8ar£, t|)e ^olj Virgin. 








Aaron. 


When he was sick, he made 
roasted pigeons to fly into his 
mouth. 






Abba Mardalaeus. 








&mos, t&e tyvopW. 




17. 


XXII. 


Andronikus. 
Jacob Saragawi. 




18. 


XXIII. 


Julianus. 








Julius and his mother. 


■ 


19. 


XXIV. 


Christ enters Hsgpt. 





386 



ENDIX. 
Genhot — May. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


May. 


May. 






19. 


XXIV. 


5ffl£a6afcufc, tfje $ropfiet. 

Salome, companion of the Virgin Mary. 




20. 


XXV. 


Abba Herodas. 

Acolvtus, with 240 martyrs. 




21. 


XXVI. 


Stomas, tf)e Apostle. 

Arsinoe, a martyr. 




22. 


XXVII. 


John, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The thirtieth. 






Lazarus, Bishop of Cyprus. 


His second death. 


23. 


XXVIII. 


Amata Christos. 
Aerilos, with 135 martyrs. 
^ftrafiam, Ksaac, anfc #acob. 
Abba Mercurius. 

Transfer of the body of Epiphanius to Cy- 
prus. 




24. 


XXIX. 


Natfbft» of <ftfmst 








Abba Simeon, of Antiochia. 


t 


25. 


XXX. 


Michael, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Korus. 


The sixty-eighth. 




Arwa, a woman. 






Here endetk the month Genhot. 



SANNE— JUNE. 



TENTH MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


May. 


June. 






26. 


i. 


Bifamon, a martyr. 

Leontius, a martyr, in the time of the 

Saracens. 
Joseph, son of Zawl. 


Also on the xxvn. of Ter. 


27. 


II. 


Apparition of the bodies of John the Bap- 
tist and Elijah. 




28. 


in. 


Martha. 
Koreon. 
Hilarius, bishop and martyr 




29. 


IV. 


John, the Ornament of Heraclea. 
Sanusius and Mary, of Belkim. 








Ammon and Sophy 1 
Acronius and Demonasia, > 


Martyrs under Diocletianus, burnt 
in a church. 






Ammonius and Menas. j 


30. 


v. 


Abba Ebsoi. 








Abba Jacob. 




' 




Marcus, the Submersed. 

Bifamon. 

Mercurius. 

Fek. 

Ablak. 








Isaac. 




31. 


VI. 


Theodoras, a monk. 




June. 




The four princes of Esnae. 




1. 


VII. 


Ashiron, a martyr, and five warriors. 
Opening of the Church of Mary. 




2. 


vm. 


WetihKtlovL of ttft Glutei) of ifftatg. 

Teemada and her sons. 





APPENDIX. 

Sanne — June. 



387 



J Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


June. 


June. 






2. 


VIII. 


2000 martyrs. 

Annenius and his mother. 




3. 


IX. 


Samuel, t1)c $roj)fiet 








Lucianus. 


Vide Genbot, xvii. 


4. 


X. 


Sophia and her daughters. 

Dibamona, Bistamona, and Warsenopha. 




5. 


XI. 


Claudius, a martyr. 

Dedication of the Church of Jesus in Alex- 
andria. 


With eighty-eight companions. 


6. 


XII. 


.Prtcftael, tije ^rcijangel. 

Euphemia. 








Justus, Patriarch of Alexandria. 


The seventh ; baptized by St. 
Mark. 






(fturtllus, ^atuarci) of 3tfej:ano"ria. 


The sixty-fourth. 






Bazalota Michael. 








Haltuela, Hmperor of 25t|)tonia. 


When yet an infant, a swarm of 
bees alighted upon him with- 
out doing him any injury 


7. 


XIII. 


<£aotfel, t1)e ^trijangel. 

John, Bishop of Jerusalem. 




8. 


XIV. 


Ptolcmaeus and Philippus. 
John and Acra. 




9. 


XV. 


Church of Menas in Marjdt. 


Menas brought a dead swine 
again to life. 


10. 


XVI. 


.^inuiafer anti Ins Treatt). 

Zaasoos with Yekweno-Amlac 


Alias Onuphrius. 


11. 


XVII. 


Abba Batatzun. 
Abba Palaemon. 


Ate only a few cabbage -leaves, 
by which diet his body be- 
came as light as air. 






Abba Garima. 


One of the nine Abyssinian saints. 


12. 


xvm. 


Bfmanfos, $atrtarcfi of &lej:arrtma. 


He has many days. 


13. 


XIX. 


An ub Bissoi. 


Id est, " pure gold," a martyr of 
Heliopolis in Egypt. 






Tesfa Michael. 


i. e. " hope of Michael." 






George and his wife Basjela. 








Arnobius and Petrus. 








Ashirion and Argenis, and Belhjus, mar- 








tyrs. 




14. 


XX. 


Elijat), tije ^roafjet. 




15. 


XXI. 


ifttarp, tic SSlesscU Virgin. 

Dedication of her church. 
Timothy, a martyr. 








Thomas. 


He brought to life again a wo- 
man, who had been drowned 
in a vessel of hydromel. 






Matthew. 








Cedrianus (Cedrenus,) Patriarch of Alex- 


The fourth. 






andria. 




16. 


XXII. 


The sons of Teudada, companions of Cos- 

mus the Martyr. 
Paulus, the Hermit. 




17. 


XXIII. 


Solomon, t|je 2&fng. 

Abba Nob. 




18. 


XXIV. 


Abba Moses, the Black. 
His seven brothers. 


Formerly a notorious robber. 


19. 


XXV. 


Peter and Paul. 
Judas, a martyr. 








Abba Petrus, a doctor, Patriarch of Alex- 


The thirty-fourth. 






andria. 








Beginning of W&inttv, . 





388 



APPENDIX. 

Sanne — June. 



J Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


June. 


June. 








19. 


XXV. 


Pilatus and his wife Procla. 
Dedication of the Church of Gabriel. 
Sosfiua, sou of Nun. 






20. 


XXVI. 


Thomas, a martyr, with companions. 
Dedication of the Church of Timothy in 

Benhur. 
Ananias, a martyr. 


Vide Hedar, xxvii. 




21. 


XXVII. 


&brafiam, Esaac, anti $acob. 






22. 


XXVIII. 


EfieotJosfus, ^atrfatcft of gUejrantrria. 


Either the thirty-third or 
seventy -ninth. 


the 


23. 


XXIX. 


Katibtts of €:f)rtst. 










Marcus, King of Rome. 

Theodorus, son of Leo, King of Ethiopia. 

Palladius, Cotylas, Adramas, and com- 
panions. 

Besoi, the warrior, with his brother Nor, 
and mother Didara. 






24. 


XXX. 


Natfbfts of $ofm tbe JSajpttst. 

Abba Geranus. 








Here endeth the month Sanne. 





HAMLE— JULY. 



ELEVENTH MONTH 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


1 

Remarks. 


June. 


July. 






25. 


i. 


Calacus, Patriarch of Rome. 








Cephronia, a martyr. 


Also called Febronia. 






Benjamin and Bejoc. 




26. 


ii. 


Tadda?us. 


Was strangled because he re- 
proved a rich man for his pride. 


27. 


in. 


Mary, a recluse. 
Seraphim and Cherubim. 
(EprtUus, presftntiG at ttje ©ounctl of 
SEpfjesus, agatrtst Nestortus. 

Christianus. 




28. 


IV. 


Sopbomas, (%ep|)anfas,) t|)e ^ropijet 

Johannes and Abukir. 




29. 


V. 


$eter anti Siaul, tbe jostles. 

Caustus. 

Acrosia. 

The wives of Agrippa. 

Deucris. 

Sakuel. 

Marcellus. 








The seventy disciples. 








The fathers of the monastery Assa. 








Maskal-Kebra, a woman. 




30. 


VI. 


Sutuel (». e. IBjra.) 
Almenas, called Paulus. 
Theodosia, a martyr. 




July. 




Saturnina, a female ascetic. 




1. 


VII. 


Abba Synoda. 
Magabis. 








Sflnatfu*. 


Bishop of Rome. 



APPENDIX. 

Hamlt — July. 



389 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


1 

Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


July. 


July. 






1. 


VII. 


Georgius, a priest. 




2. 


VIII. 


Abba Bessoi, the hermit. 

Cyrus. 

Aburom and his brother 

Atom and Arianus. 

Misael. 

Belana, a presbyter. 

Beimas. 

Phaulius of Tama. 


There have been many of that 
name. 


3. 


IX. 


ClauTuan, patriarch of Sllerantrrta. 


The ninth. 


4. 


X. 


^fattiatiael of €anaa. 
Theoras and Theodoras. 
Golianus. 




5. 


XI. 


Johannes and Simeon, martyrs. 


This John extracted a serpent 
out of the womb of a princess. 






€Jabrtel, $atrfarcf) of ^tlerantrrta. 


Many of that name ; the seventy- 
eighth. 






Esaias, a presbyter. 




6. 


XII. 


itttcfjael, tfje ^rcfiansel. 
Abba Hor, a martyr. 




7. 


XIII. 


Abba Basenda, a bishop. 

Ammon, a martyr. 

Dedication of the Church of Bessoi. 




8. 


XIV. 


Prochorus. 

Isaac. 

$eter anfc $aul. 




9. 


XV. 


Mbbn Hpljrem, of iSgrta. 




10. 


XVI. 


#ofjn, possessor of tje @JolTren ©esta* 
merit. 








Sertza-Hawaryat. 


i. e. " germ of the Apostles." 


11. 


XVII. 


Euphemia. 








Andreas, a monk in the monastery of Le- 


Of Debra-Libanos in Shoa ; he 






banon. 


slew Mafoodi, King of Hurrur. 






Jonas, the Prophet. 




12. 


XVIII. 


#acob, brother of <£ur Horn. 

Athanataeus, Bishop of Clysme. 




13. 


XIX. 


Batalanus, a martyr. } 
Cyriacus, a martyr. . \ 


Of Esnse. 






The martyrs of Latonopolis. 


, 






Abel, of the fraternity of Tekla-Haimanot. 




14. 


XX. 


fEntrg or $urtffcatfon of patina, 
Theodoras, leader of an army. 
Guebra-Yasoos. 
Tekla. 


Hanna, mother of Mary. 


15. 


XXI. 


fttarr, tfie ?^ol£ IHrgm. 
SJriel, an ardmnjjel. 
Susneus. 

Batzalota- Michael. 
Au-Christos. 




16. 


XXII. 


Macarius. 
Therapio. 




17. 


XXIII. 


Longinus. 
Marina. 




18. 


XXIV. 


Nobus. 








Simeon, $atrfarcf) of &lej:an&rta. 


The forty-second ; was poisoned. 






Tekla-Adonai. 


Abbot of Debra Libanos. 


19. 


XXV. 


Mariam Kebra. 








Za-Yasoos. 


i. e. " follower of Jesus. 






Abba Carazun. 








Eutropius. 





/ 



390 



APPENDIX. 

Hamlt — July. 



Julian. 



July. 

19. 



20. 



21. 



22. 



23. 



24. 



Ethiop. 



July. 

XXV. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



XXVI. 



XXVII. 



XXVIII. 



XXIX. 



XXX. 



Remarks. 



1 



Twenty-five thousand martyrs in the town 

Atribe. 
Thekla, an apostolic woman. 
Dedication of the Church of Merkur in 

Egypt. 
Antoninus, ~\ 
Epimachus,l M 
Isaac, 

Hilaria, J 

Tekla and Amogia, martyrs. 
Dimadius. 

Joseph husbarrti of i&atg. 

Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria. 
Salama. 

Samuel. 

Ammonius and Theophila. 

Bifamon. 

Simeon, $atrfatcb of gUerarrtrtfa. 

2E?ekfcl, the $roptjet 

gttraiwm, Esaac, anti Jacob. 

Maskal-Guebra, a woman. 

Adronikus and Athanasia. 

Philippus, the companion of Tekla-Hai- 

manot. 
Kattbftg of Cbrtst. 
Transfer of the body of Taddseus, the 

Apostle. 
Warsenopha. 

Mercurius and Ephrem, brothers. 
Dedication of the Church of Suriel. 
Paulus. 

Andreas and Matthias. 
Timotheus, Patriarch of Alexandria. 



A martyr killed with arrows, in 
Bana, a town of the Thebais. 



Restored a blind and paralytic 
man. 

The twenty-second. 

i. e. Frumentius, the Apostle of 

Ethiopia. 
Rode upon a lion. 



The fifty-first. 



Vide Sann6,x. 



Many of that name. 



Here endetk the month HamU. 



NAHASSE— AUGUST. 

TWELFTH MONTH. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


July. 


Aug. 




25. 


I. 


Jfosejib of Erfmatbaea* 

Nicodemus. 

Obolius, a martyr. 

Truth, Hope, and Charity, three virgins. 


26. 


II. 


Athanasia. 
Eupraxia. 


27. 


III. 


Ssoalvn, 4Biueen. 

Simeon, the Stylite. 


28. 


IV. 


Mercurius, an ascetic. 
38e?efctab (J&fsftfa*.) 
Abba Matthaeus, a hermit. 


29. 


V. 


David and his brothers in the land Singar. 
Abraham, an ascetic. 
Tekla-Michael, a sacred bard. 
Philip. 



Remarks. 



(Pistis, Elpis, Agape.) 



King of Jerusalem. 
Cured a leprose woman. 
Singar was a town in Egypt 



APPENDIX. 

Nahasse — August. 



391 



Julian. 



July. 
29. 



30. 



31. 



7. 



9. 
10. 

11. 
12. 



13. 
14. 

15. 
16. 



17. 



Ethiop. 



Aug. 
V. 



VI. 



vir. 



Aug. 
1. 


VIII. 


2. 
3. 


IX. 
X. 


4. 


XI. 


5. 


XII. 


6. 


XIII. 



XV, 



XVI. 



XVII. 



XVIII. 
XIX. 



XX. 
XXI. 



XXII. 
XXIII. 



XXIV. 



Fasts and Festivals. 



Johannes, a military prefect. 

Julia, composition of Eupraxia. 

Tekla-Yasoos. 

Abba Witza, disciple of Sinoda. 

Justa. 

Maria Magdalena. 

Dedication of the Church of Herodas. 

Conception of Mary. 

Aaron, brother of Moses. 

3Peter, tfie Apostle. 

Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria, 

Ehud, the Judge. 

Birth of Joseph. 

Eleazar and Machabaea, and their seven 

children. 
Oh of Setnuf. 
Mctra. 

Abba Bicabus. 
Christophorus. 
Moses, Bishop of Aussim. 
Ptolemaeus, a martyr of Upper Memphis. 
Jtlfrtmei, tfie ^rcfoansel. 

Constantine's reign. 

^Transfiguration of $esns on Mount 

2Taoor. 
Benjamin. 
Abba Gallio. 
Basilicus. 
Damiates. 

Simeon and Johannes. 
©resswp, of ti)e bofcg of t|»e ?9oIg VltQin. 

Christina. 

3Laurentfus. 

Marina. 

ascension of tfoe botrp of tfoe ^ob IHrfifn. 

Transfer of the bones of Georgius" 

Gegar. ruler of Syria 

Entheus. 

Aerates. 

Jacob, a martyr, with his companions Jo 

hannes and Abraham. 
Aragawi. 

aieranfier, |9atrfarcfi of ^ieranoria. 
Justinus. 
Phinehas. 

Transfer of the body of Macarius. 
Jacob, a bishop of Ethiopia. 



£foe Seben Sleepers. 
J&ari>, ttie 2^oIj VixQin. 

Irene, a martyr. 

ittfefta, tfie $ropftet. 

The thirty thousand martyrs. 

Darnianus, a martyr of Antiochia. 

Abraham's daughter. 

^oraftam. 

Ksaac, son of &brafiam. 

Thomas, a martyr. 

erefcla^afmanot 



Remarks. 



Could not be burned to death. 

Herodas was not touched by lions 

and panthers. 
Viz., by her mother Hanna. 



The twenty-seventh. 

Vide 2 Maccab. vii. 3. 
Setnuf, a town, in Egypt. 



Commonly called Assumption. 



Vide xxn. of Miaziah. 



Having returned after a stay of six 
years in Egypt, he found still 
the fire on his hearth burning. 

They have many days. 



Slain by the followers of Arius. 



•'. e. " Flower of the Creed." 



392 



APPENDIX. 



Nahasst — August. 



Julian. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


i 
Remarks. 


Aug. 


Aug. 






18. 


XXV. 


Bessarion. 
Jacob. 

Adrian and Anatolia. 


Crossed a river without getting wet. 


19. 


XXVI. 


Sara and Moses. 
Tekla-Salam, and Agabus. 
Sarat), Storafjam's totfe. 




20. 


XXVII. 


Baaminus and his sister Eudoxia. 
Samuel, tfie 3.9roaf)et. 




21. 


XXVIII. 


gftraSam, fisaac, atrti Jacob. 

Abba Bersaba. 




22. 


XXIX. 


jtfatfbtti) of (ftfirfst 

Athanasius. 

Gersimus and Theodotus, ascetics. 

Irenaeus, a bishop. 

Transfer of the body of John the Younger. 

Salama, translator of tf)e 2£olu 38oofts. 


• 


23. 


XXX. 


Moses, Bishop of Ferme. 
Andrew. 






Here endcth the twelfth Abyssinian month Nahasse. 



PAGMEN, 

THAT IS, DAYS INTERPOLATED BETWEEN AUGUST AND SEPTEMEER (NAHASSE AND MAS- 
KARRAM,) THE TWELFTH AND THE FIRST ABYSSINIAN MONTHS, TO MAKE UP THE 
SOLAR YEAR. 



f 

Julian. 
Aug. 


Ethiop. 


Fasts and Festivals. 


Remarks. 


Pagm. 






24. 


i. 


Wetukis. 

Eusebius and Pachomius. 
fincarceratfon of Jofm tfce aSajitfst. 
Abba Bessoi. 




25. 


ii. 


STttus, tjfscfule of $aul 




26. 


in. 


Hapfcael, tije ^rcftauflel. 








Serapio. 


Sold himself, and distributed the 
proceeds among the proselytes. 






Melchi-zedek, King of Salem. 








^ara=Yacooo. 


Name of an emperor celebrated 
for his wisdom, and also of a 
preacher of the gospel. 


27. 


IV. 


Amda Mariam. 








Seven brothers, living in one cave. 


See Ter. xiii. 






3Ltbcrfus, $attfarcfi of &ome. 


Was the thirty-seventh pope. 


28. 


v. 


Jacob, Bishop of Egypt. 

Barsuma. 

&mos, tfie $touftet. 

Abba Magder. 






VI. 




Pertains only on Leap-year, being 
the year of St. John. 






Here endeth the Ethiopian yet 


ir. 



$ratse be unto tbe 2Lottf for eoer antr etoet. ^men. 



THE END. 






— • « t-U ,j*tQ 



8 



ir 

/ u; 






in ' r 



